The Sacred Alchemist
by Kirei Ai Tenshi
Summary: Upon witnessing both Inuyasha's betrayal and her best friend's death, a broken Kagome returns home. Now, she's determined to become stronger. Strong enough to protect her loved ones. But finding love was the last thing on her mind.
1. Chapter 1

I'm here with another fanfic! This time a Fullmetal Inuyasha crossover! I read a few of them and fell in love! Plus I re-watched the episodes and red the chapters of the manga all over again so that I could grasp their characters! There are going to be a few changes since this is my fanfic. Mainly concerning Kagome's age and the date since FMA's time era was way before Inuyasha's. She's going to be thirteen in the chapter and it's set in Edward's world!

Disclaimer: Sigh...First it was Inuyasha and now I have to add FMA...I don't own anything except a pregnant German Shepherd named Angel.

Pairings: Kagome/Edward and Winry/Alphonse

Rating: T (subject to change as characters get older)

Summary: Upon witnessing both Inuyasha's betrayal and her best friend's death, a broken Kagome returns home. Now, she's determined to become stronger. Strong enough to protect her loved ones. But finding love was the last thing on her mind.

* * *

The Sacred Alchemist

* * *

Sprawled awkwardly across her bed, Kagome Higurashi sobbed into her pillow, wanting nothing more than to wallow in her sorrows. Her heart was in immense pain and her throat constricted as she choked out sob after sob. She had locked her door and her window, not wanting to see anyone. Not after what she just saw. No one could help her out of her misery right now.

The reason why? Kagome caught Inuyasha and Kikyou in a heated embrace and before she could confront the half-demon about his lies; they were ambushed by Naraku. Her little group of friends did their utmost best, but there were many casualties.

Another sob wracked through the young priestess' body as vivid flashes of what transpired replayed in her mind.

_~Flashback~_

_Kagome threw her big yellow pack over the edge of the well, wiping the glistening sweat off of her brow once she manage to fully exit the dry well. Looking around, her lips pulled up in a bright smile. Feudal Japan has become her home for the past year and Kagome could not get enough of the beauty of this time era._

_Shouldering her bag, the priestess bucked slightly under the weight, but managed to tote the heavy bag all the way back to Kaede's village. 'Note to self: pack less.' She chuckled at her thoughts as she pushed the rice paper door aside and greeted her friends. "Hey, everybody! I'm back."_

"_Kagome!" _

_The priestess smiled when the small red fox demon she'd adopted rushed over and jumped on her, his tiny arms wrapping around her neck. "Kagome-mama!" he chirped. "I missed you!"_

"_I missed you too, Shippou." she set the child back on his feet before looking around and noticed that their silver-haired companion was missing. "Where's Inuyasha?"_

_Sango rose to her feet and helped Kagome take the large pack off of her back and set down next to Miroku. "He said that he was going hunting."_

_Anger turned the priestess red. Why would that dense idiot go hunting knowing that she went back home to restock up on their food supplies? Twisting on her heels, Kagome threw open the rice paper door and tossed over her shoulder, "I'm going to look for him! That jerk can't be too far!" She marched across the pathway etched into the dirt as she made her way to the forest._

_Pushing aside branches and another leafy bush, Kagome tore through the forest as she scouted out for a familiar flash of red and silver. She huffed when she could not spot the half-demon and was sorely tempted to say the subjugation incantation, but was not sure just how far away Inuyasha was. Ducking under a tree branch, Kagome soon heard voices close by. Straining her ears, the priestess listened. 'That's Inuyasha's voice! Who's he talking to though?' _

_Moving closer to the source of the voices, Kagome stumbled upon a clearing and, without a doubt, spotted the bright red clothing of the half-demon in question. She was about to reveal herself and yell at him for going hunting when he knew that she was going to return soon, but stopped when she recognized the other voice. 'Kikyou!'_

_Inuyasha took Kikyou in his arms, holding her close to his chest. "I swear to you, Kikyou. I'll kill Naraku for you and get the jewel back." he tilted her chin back so her could look into her cool brown eyes. Those same eyes that entranced him fifty years ago. "I promise you that."_

_Kikyou reached up and wrapped her hand around the half-demon's neck, pulling him down to her level. "You promise? You swear on your life?"_

"_Yes." he breathed as he swooped down a caught her cold lips with his in a passionate kiss._

_Kagome gasped from her hiding place when she saw the man she loved begin to undress the undead priestess before her eyes. He touched Kikyou in ways that Kagome longed that he would touch her one day. Covering her mouth to stop her sobs from escaping, the young priestess fled from the scene, leaving the couple to their intimate dance. Tears fell down her cheeks as she blindly ran back to the village._

_Upon entering the hut, Kagome collapsed in Sango's arms. "Kagome?" the demon slayer questioned when she felt wetness soak through her kimono. "What happened? Did that idiot hurt you?"_

"_Sango..." the priestess managed to sob out. "He...Inuyasha...he chose Kikyou!"_

_The demon slayer's brown eyes softened at the wail the younger girl let out. Shippou hopped up on his mother's shoulder and stroked her cheek with his tiny claws and whispered soothing words in her ear. Sango looked up from Kagome over to the monk sitting in the corner._

"_What do we do?" she mouthed._

_Miroku shook his head. "This is between them."_

_A few minutes later, Inuyasha burst into the hut, a smile on his lips and a sparkle in his eyes. He stopped short when he saw the yellow bag and Kagome sobbing into Sango's shoulder and immediately guilt filled as he white ears flattened against his skull. "Kagome...you saw?"_

_Kagome pulled her face out of her best friend's shoulder, mustering up enough strength to glare at the half-demon hatefully. "Of course I saw, you jackoff!" she cursed at him. "I had a front row seat for everything!" marching over, the priestess jabbed Inuyasha in the chest. "What I saw ripped my heart to pieces!"_

"_What?" the half-demon questioned, his black brows furrowing up in confusion as he allowed the girl to jab him again in the chest. "What do you mean?"_

"_I loved you, you jerk!" Kagome screamed before pushing past him and out the door. She came to an abrupt halt as she saw the chaos that was surrounding her. Bodies littered the ground and blood was splayed everywhere! Was she so engrossed in her sorrows that she failed to detect the aura of the Sacred Jewel, to sense Naraku? "Sango! Miroku!" she screamed as she jumped out of the way of an oncoming attack._

_And then the final battle commenced. _

_Kagome firing arrows after arrows, purifying the demons that surrounded Naraku, but as soon as she destroyed some, hundreds filled back in the dead ones' place. Sango used her Hiraikotsu to knock Kagura out the sky and together, she and Miroku fought the wind sorceress. Inuyasha unleashed Wind Scar after Wind Scar, hoping to do some damage to the foul demon he'd promised to kill._

_Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome saw the regal form of the lord of the western lands enter the battlefield, Tokijin clutched between his fingers. The priestess moved to aid the dog demon, but a shrill scream echoed through her ears. "Sango!" she cried when she recognized the voice. Pushing all her strength into her legs, Kagome ran over to her best friend, gasping at what she saw._

_Miroku, trying to protect the demon slayer from Kagura's Dance of the Dragon, lay dead in a pool of his blood. A crying Sango had her body draped over his as her sobs racked through her body. She sat up suddenly, fury in her deep brown eyes as she hoisted her weapon up. With a battle cry, Sango released her Hiraikotsu, the large boomerang soaring through the air at an alarming speed. Kagura did not stand a chance as it struck her in the stomach, ripping her apart._

"_Miroku..." Sango whispered as she fell to her knees. "I never got to tell you that I lo-" her confession was cut off as blood fell from her lips. Her wide eyes look down and saw a brown tentacle poking out of her chest. She turned her head and found Kagome looking at her with pain filled blue eyes and she reached out for her. Before Sango could say a single word, the tentacle that pierced her moved upward, bisecting the demon slayer and allowing her to join her beloved in the next world._

"_Sango!" _

* * *

Kagome pulled her pillow closer to her and she sniffled, her heart felt heavy in her chest as the last bit of the memory played in her head. Somehow when she witnessed the death of her best friend, the priestess snapped; her powers circulating her body in swirls of silver, blue, and pink as she charged at the cause of Sango's death, Naraku. With her newly enhanced powers, the foul demon did not even last two seconds. He was purified the instant Kagome touched him, leaving behind a pile of ash and an almost complete Sacred Jewel.

A knock at her door. "Kagome, sweetie, will you please let me in?" it was her mother.

"I don't want to talk, Mama." the priestess voiced softly, wiping at the tears that were streaming down her face even though she moved to unlock the door.

"My baby..." Nodoka whispered when she entered the room. Quickly, she pulled Kagome into a tight hug. "Shh." she murmured as she stroked her daughter's long dark hair in a soothing manner. "It's going to be okay. Just tell me everything that happened." it had surprised Nodoka to the core when her oldest child came back home soaked in blood with dirty tears streaming down her face. Her mother listened intently as Kagome divulged everything that occurred. From her finding Inuyasha and Kikyou locked in a heated embrace to Naraku savagely killing her best friend, Sango. "Oh Kagome..." Nodoka said as she held her daughter tighter.

Kagome sniffled as she continued to stay in her mother's embrace. Slowly her tears dried and the young priestess pulled away, a ghost of a smile on her lips. "Mama...I want to leave." she shook her head at the mother's shocked gasp. "No, what I mean is that I want to go and live with Dad's relatives in Amestris. I want to become stronger so that I can protect my loved ones."

The matriarch of the Higurashi household felt shock run up and down her body. She'd just gotten her little girl back and now she was faced with the possibility of losing her again. Granted that Kagome had traveled to another dimension, but she's only thirteen; she was still Nodoka's baby girl. Closing her eyes, her mother put a smile on her face, "If that is what you want. I'll call your uncle and let him know you are on your way."

"Thanks Mama." she moved back over to her bed, pausing before turning back around. "And Mama? Do you still have Dad's old books about alchemy?"

"Yes? Why?" Nodoka questioned, though she fully understood her child's sudden interests in those old books.

Kagome looked her mother directly in the eyes as she carefully crafted her next words. "Because, I'm going to try to become a State Alchemist.

* * *

A few days later, Kagome had her belongings packed up in several suitcases. She waited with her mother, grandfather, and little brother at the train station. Turning, the young priestess said to Nodoka, "Did you let Uncle Shou know that I would be coming today?"

Nodoka nodded. "Of course I did. And little Nina is excited about meeting her big cousin." she smiled squeezing her daughter's hand. All too soon, the whistle signaling her train's departure rang through the air. Sighing, Mrs. Higurashi pulled her daughter into a tight embrace and kissed her forehead. "Be safe."

"I will, Mama." Kagome moved away from her mother and gave her grandfather a long hug, whispering that when she comes to visit she'll bring him a nice gift from Central. After letting go, the young priestess walked over to her little brother and kneeled down. "Souta, I know that I missed a lot of your life when I left to go to the Feudal era, but I want you to know that I love you." Swiftly, she yanked her brother into a quick hug and kissed his cheek soundly.

Satomi Higurashi called out for his granddaughter when she grabbed her bags and started to board the train. "You tell that son of mine to treat you right!" he shouted. "Never once has that Shou thought to pay his old man a visit! Says he's always too busy with his work!" he crossed his arms over his chest with a huff. "If you become a State Alchemist like him, you better come see us!"

Kagome giggled as she blew a kiss to her grandfather. "Don't worry Grandpa! I'll surely come and see you guys!" with those departing words, the young priestess entered the train and quickly found her seat. She glanced out the window and saw her family wave her off and tears pricked at her eyes. Her determination to become stronger grew as she watched her family move further away as the train began to move.

Blowing her bangs up, Kagome sunk down in her seat. Her heart still hurt from witnessing both Inuyasha's betrayal and her best friend's death. Both were firmly imprinted in her mind. Shaking her head from side to side, the young priestess slapped her palms against her cheeks. This was not time for her to be thinking things like that. If she truly wanted to become a State Alchemist, Kagome needed to study.

Opening her yellow bag, the young priestess pulled out four books and cracked open the biggest one titled _Introduction to Alchemy._ Her dark blue eyes scanned over the notes scribbled on the pages in her father's elegant handwriting. "The first rule of alchemy is to obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is called Equivalent Exchange." She studied and studied, going over the most basic concepts of alchemy. And the more she read, the more the science intrigued her.

"Alchemy is almost like cooking." she commented, flipping through another one of her father's book. A gasp left her lips when she uncovered something inside the book. It was a photograph. A young three-year-old Kagome hugging her father's leg as he held a newborn Souta in his arms with a smile on his face and his arm around her mother, who had long hair at the time. "Papa..." Kagome whispered as she gently picked the picture up. They were the perfect family. Why did her dad have to die?

Wetness trailed down her cheeks and the priestess reached up and wiped away her tears. Placing the picture back inside the book, Kagome looked out the window and saw that she was almost at her first stop. Decided that she wanted to preserve the photograph, the young priestess unboarded the train when it stopped and glanced at her watch. She had half an hour before her train was to depart again. More than enough time for her to buy a frame.

Walking through the station, Kagome looked for a store where she could purchase the material she needed. A smile tilted at her lips when she saw a kind-looking woman standing behind a stand with various wooden frames painted in bright colors. "Excuse me." the young priestess said. "How much are your frames."

The woman looked down at Kagome and her eyes lit up. "For a pretty young girl like you: ¥50."

Kagome smiled and picked out a dark green frame that had 'Family' etched into the wood that was painted in black. Handing the money to the shopkeeper, the young priestess waved her farewell and decided to explore the town for a bit. She found out that the name of the small village was Reole and they primarily worshiped the Sun God, Leto. It was a small, yet civil desert town and Kagome enjoyed her time there immensely. She met many kind people who told her stories of how a priest named Cornello came and saved them, giving them hope by producing miracles.

Though the priestess hardly believed what the priest was doing should be called miracles since from what they told her it sounded like simple alchemy, but she stayed quiet about it. She went back to the train station and boarded her train, moving down the aisle to her seat. Once there, she flipped the book open and removed the photo, carefully placing it inside the frame.

"There." Kagome said happily. "My papa is always with me now." She opened her yellow bag and stuffed the picture frame down between her clothes so that the bumpy train ride would not shatter the delicate glass. Night rolled in and soon the young priestess felt herself nodding off. She asked the train attendant if she could have a blanket and when he returned with the item, Kagome was fast asleep.

* * *

Kagome closed the book, finally finished reading the last of her father's materials and was confident that she would be a strong alchemist. Now all she had to do was practice and she may have a chance at becoming a State Alchemist! The whistle blew and the priestess looked up out the window and saw that she was finally at her destination. East City. Standing out of her seat, Kagome arched her back, lifting her hands above her head. _'Man, I wished Kirara was around. I would have gotten to Amestris smoother than this rickety train!' _ A gasp left her lips. She should not talk about her best friend's loyal companion like that. Sango would not have like that. Reaching inside her shirt, Kagome pulled out the chain she had hidden.

Attached to the silver chain was a pale pink jewel, the Sacred Jewel, but next to the accused gem was a small golden locket. Clicking it open, the priestess revealed a picture of her and Sango together with bright smiles on their faces on one side and on the other was of her and her adopted son Shippou, him nestled on her shoulder and partially hidden by her hair. A faint smile spread over her lips as she gazed at the pictures. She had Miroku take them with the camera she brought there and now they were her most treasured items.

The young priestess gazed around for signs of her uncle and huffed when she found none. "Stupid Uncle Shou!" she said angrily. "I had called him to make sure he knew what time my train would arrive." she marched over to the nearest phone booth and pushed in her phone card and dialed her uncle's number.

He picked up on the third ring. _"Hello?"_

"Uncle Shou!" Kagome fumed. "Where are you?"

"_Oh, Kagome? I'm at home. Why?"_

The young priestess rolled her eyes. Sometimes she questioned her uncle's intelligence. "I'm at the train station. Waiting on you. Who, I may remind, was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago!"

She heard her uncle mutter something in the background before he spoke to her. _"I apologize, Kagome. I have some visitors over. I'll be over in a minute."_ there was a click as the line went dead.

Kagome pulled the phone away from her ear, staring at it in disbelief. Did that man just hang up in her face? Slamming the phone down in irritation, the priestess shouted. "Stupid Uncle!" hefting her suitcases back up, the dark-haired girl walked over to the bathroom and decided to change her clothes. Her uncle did mention that he had visitors, so she did not want to greet them in her dark blue 'Meow' sweater and pale blue skirt. So, she went there and freshened up, changed into a blue long-sleeved dress that faded into a pristine white with small crystals sewn into the hem.

When she exited the bathroom, she heard someone call her name.

"Kagome!" A man with short-cropped light brown hair and pale blue, almost grey, eyes walked over to the young priestess, his hand lifted in a wave.

"Uncle Shou." the dark-haired girl said as she walked over to her uncle.

Shou Tucker pulled his niece into a warm hug. "It's so good to see you. Last time I saw you was at my brother's funeral." he smiled sheepishly as he moved away and rubbed the back of his head. "How's my father doing?"

Kagome handed her uncle her suitcases and followed him out the station. "Grandpa is doing well. He told me to tell you that you should visit more often and to treat me right." she giggled softly.

"Ahh, I see." Shou said as he placed Kagome's bags into the back of his car. "I would if I could, but since becoming a State Alchemist, is virtually impossible for me to find the time." he placed his key in the ignition and started up the vehicle, pulling away from the curb and driving towards his home.

"So, Uncle Shou, who's your visitors?" the priestess asked, bunched up the skirt of her dress as the cool autumn air struck her skin. _'Maybe I should have grabbed my jacket out of my bag.'_

Shou looked down at his niece from the corner of his eye as he pulled into the driveway to his estate. "He's Edward Elric and his younger brother Alphonse Elric. They came to me to learn more about alchemy. They say they needed a bio-alchemist but for what reason I don't know. I was about to find out when you had called." he got out of the car and grabbed Kagome's bags out of the back.

"Elric? That's a strange name." Kagome mused before clapping her hands. "You said that you're a State Alchemist, right?" she smiled brightly when he nodded, "Then think you can arrange for me to take the exam?"

Shou lifted a brow at his niece. Since when did she become interested in alchemy? When his brother left to get married, he said that he did not want anything to do with the science anymore. So, why does his daughter want to become a part of the military? "I believe I can, but why?"

Kagome lowered her head so that her bands casted shadows over her eyes, making her look older than what she really is. "Because...I want to become stronger. Strong enough to protect my loved ones from harm." she reached over and pulled out her jacket from her yellow bag, pulling it on and walking to the entrance to the estate. Upon entering the courtyard, a loud bark was here and when Kagome looked up, a large white dog was running towards her.

The Great Pyrenees dog leapt up into the air and crashed down on the young woman, licking her face with his long wet tongue. Kagome giggled as she reached up and scratched the animal between the ears with on hand and pushed him away with the other. "Hi, Alexander!" she stood up and brushed the white fur off of her dress. "I missed you too. I'm surprised that you remember me. The last time I saw you I was three years old." she stroked the big dog's head lovingly.

She looked up and spotted a little girl with long brown hair pulled back in two long braids that went down past her waist with bright blue eyes hiding behind the door. A smile tilted at her lips as she moved over to the door and bent down to her knees and greeted the little girl. "You must be Nina." she tilted her head to the side as her smile widened. "I'm your big cousin, Kagome."

" 'Gome?" Nina whispered as she opened the door a little wider. A bright and happy smile spread over her lips when the older girl nodded and Nina threw her arms around Kagome's neck. " 'Gome! I'm so happy to meet you?"

Kagome picked Nina up and placed her on her hip, spinning the child around a few times, making her tilt her head back in laughter. She looked over her shoulder at her uncle who had placed the last of her bags inside the courtyard, wiping sweat off his brow. "Uncle Shou, where Aunt Akemi?" she asked, looking around for signs of her aunt.

"Momma left to go and live with her parents." Nina chirped. "She said my daddy was a no good alchemist and that she was tired of it."

"Oh..."

Nina hopped off of Kagome and pulled her by the hand. "Come on. I want you to meet my new friends, 'Gome!"

The young priestess laughed softly as she allowed the little girl to pull her inside the house, Alexander following behind them. Nina led her to the library down the right-wind hall of the house. The little girl talked animatedly about the two that quickly became her friends after a course of seven days and Kagome could not help but to smile down at Nina.

They entered the library and the little girl called out, "Little Big Brother! Bigger Brother!" she beamed up at Kagome when she spotted the large metal suit of her bigger brother. "I found you!" Nina let go of the priestess' hand in favor of jumping on the metal back.

Kagome felt her eyes widened when the metal suit moved, standing up and reaching behind him to pull Nina off his back. "Nina." he laughed. "You shouldn't do that."

"Let her do as she please, Al. She's just a kid." another voice said, a smirk could be heard in his tone.

Nina waved Kagome over. " 'Gome! Come see!"

The priestess held her head up high as she approached the little girl and the suit of armor, vaguely wondering why he would wear such heavy armor. She turned the corner and was felt a smile tug at her lips. Nina had moved from the tall knight to a short boy with long blond hair, who had his eyes closed as he tried to fend off the little girl from tugging his braid with a broad smile. "Nina." she sighed. "Are you being bad?"

"Ah! No way 'Gome!" Nina cried as she let go of the blond. "Nina's a good girl!"

Kagome giggled before introducing herself to the one in the suit of armor. "I'm Kagome Higurashi." she held out her hand. "I'm going to guess and say you're one of the Elric Brothers my uncle is harboring?"

"Yes, I'm Alphonse Elric" his metal hands came up and shook her gently before pointing over to the grinning blond, who was petting Alexander on the head. "And that's my older brother Edward Elric."

"Older brother?" the priestess said, "Shouldn't it be the other way around. You're so much bigger than him."

Alphonse quickly leaned down to whisper in Kagome's ear. "Please don't mention Brother's height." he chuckled nervously. "He takes it to an extreme offence."

Kagome smirked. "What can a little guy like him do?" The instant those words left the priestess' lips a malicious aura struck her back and she turned around to see the blond clenching his fists, his eyes dark and teeth gritted.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO LITTLE THAT HE DOESN'T NEED FEAR BEING CRUSHED BY A SHOE BECAUSE HE COULD EASILY FIT THROUGH THE GROOVES OF THE SOLE!" He marched up being the pretty young woman, staring at her eye to eye.

The priestess suddenly shrunk back. _'His eyes..._' Kagome moved her arm up to her chest as it to protect her from being hurt. Why were his eyes that color? Only demons should have that eye color and, yet, here a human boy had the exact same eye color. _'Why are his eyes golden?!' _she backed away from the boy, tears stinging her eyes as flashbacks of what transpired in the Feudal era traveled through her mind. Inuyasha's betrayal. Him and Kikyou intertwined in a seductive dance. Him professing his undying love for the undead priestess.

"Are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you." he said, moving closer to the girl.

"No!" she screamed. "Stay away from me!" Kagome turned on her heel and ran out of the library

Alphonse placed his hand on his brother's shoulder, refraining him from chasing after Kagome. He shook his head slowly, "Leave her alone, Brother."

* * *

Kagome ran and ran until she found the room that her uncle placed her belongings and hit the bed the second her door shut. Tears fell down her cheeks in streams as she fought off the wave of heartache that was burning through her chest. She brought her pillow to her face and let out her sorrows, screaming into the fluffy object. There was a click, signaling that her door had opened and, the priestess snapped her head up.

Nina stood in the doorway, her little hands folded against her chest. " 'Gome?" she whispered as she walked over to her big cousin's bed. "Did Little Bigger Brother say something to hurt your feelings?"

"No, Nina. It's just...his eyes reminded me of someone I want to forget." Kagome murmured as she pulled the little girl into her lap, hugging her tightly. "I'm okay." she lifted her head when she heard the padded feet of Alexander down the hall and soon the big white dog entered the room and whined. Kagome got up, cradling Nina in her arms as she went to pet the animal behind the ears. "I'm fine, Alexander. Thanks for checking up on me." she looked at Nina. "I should go and apologize."

Together the young priestess and Nina walked down the hall back into the library where the Elric Brothers were sitting at a table reading. Swallowing dryly, Kagome went over to the blond and tapped his left shoulder. She stopped herself from flinching when he turned around and looked at her with his gold eyes. "Ah." she began, her heart racing in her chest. "I wanted to apologize for how I acted. It's just that you had reminded me of someone I wanted to forget."

Edward dipped his mouth into a frown as he continued to stare down the young priestess. Finally he looked away and returned to his book. "It's fine."

"Uhm..." she stammered. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm studying?"

Alphonse lifted his head out of the book he was reading. "Brother and I are studying for the State Alchemist Exam next month."

Kagome's eyes lit up at the mentioning of the exam. "Really? You're going to take the exam too?" she pulled a chair out next to Alphonse and sat down in it. "So that means you guys want to be alchemists?" She squealed when they nodded. "So do I!"

That got the three teenagers talking. They exchanged information about what they've learned about the science; talking about the various transmutations they were possible. Together they went over the sequence needed to perform a proper transmutation. Alphonse took out a piece of chalk and drew a circle on the table and placed his hands over it, a pale, almost white, blue light surrounding his hands and a small wooden horse was crafted.

The young priestess grinned at the craftsmanship of the little trinket and decided that she wanted to try. Taking the chalk from Alphonse, Kagome drew her own circle and looked around for something that she could use. When finding nothing, she took the end of her dress in her teeth and ripped the hem, taking a few of the beads with the strip she tore off. Kagome placed the white strip of fabric in the center of the circle and closed her eyes. Her hands began to glow a soft pink as the cloth in the center of the transmutation circle began to shift, transforming into a doll wearing a white dress that resembled the one Kagome wore.

"Wow." Edward commented. "Awesome job." he grinned at the priestess.

Kagome felt her cheeks heat up how cute the blond looked with a smile on his face, but paled when he opened his eyes. Handing the little doll over to Nina, who grinned and ran off to show her father, the priestess picked up another alchemy book. "Thanks. Though, that's just beginner's luck. That was my first transmutation."

Alphonse tilted his head to the side. "Really? Because you're really good at it."

"Thank you, Alphonse." the priestess patted the boy's metal hand as a smile tilted at her lips. "By the way, why do you two want to become State Alchemist? You don't seem any older than me."

A dark shadow was cast over the two brothers as Edward clenched his fist. "To fix a wrong that was committed."

Kagome sensed the change in the atmosphere and decided that she would not probe them for answers. She did not want to upset her new friends. "I see. Well, let's get back to studying. It's going to take more than an overnight cram session to pass." she held up a green book that was titled _Advance Alchemy_ in silver cursive letters.

The two boys nodded and opened their own books and went back to studying.

After a few hours, Shou Tucker entered the room and announced that it was time for dinner. The three teens nodded, placing their books down and getting up out of their chairs to follow Shou to the dinner area.

"Wow, Uncle Tucker!" Kagome cheered, "You made your famous steak!" the priestess eagerly sat down next to Alphonse and thanked her uncle for the food before digging in. The tender meat practically melting in her mouth as she took her first bite. "Yummy!"

"Ah, Kagome, I forgot to mention that you've been granted permission to take the exam. I called your mother and she is okay with it." Shou announced, smiling down at his niece. When she returned his smile with one of her own, he turned to the older Elric. "Edward, making progress in your studies?"

Edward looked up from his plate, stopping his hand from cutting the piece of meat. "Yes, sir. Some, but I gotta speed up. There's so much I don't know."

Shou nodded as he slid his fork into a piece of steak, lifting it to his mouth and chewed. Once he swallowed, he continued, "Yes, the more steps we take forward the longer we see the path is ahead." he shifted his gaze from Edward to Alphonse to his niece. "But you're all so young; you needn't worry about taking the exam this year."

Kagome set her fork down, wiping the corners of her mouth with a napkin. "No, Uncle Shou. I have to take that test this year. I have too; in order to become stronger. I'm tired of being that weak little girl. I want to protect my family."

Her uncle looked taken aback at her words. "I see."

Nina looked up from her place next to her father, bread crumble still sticking to her lips. "Ah," she said, pouting, "Bigger Brother isn't eating his dinner!" she pointed her bread roll at Alphonse, a stern frown on her cute face. "That won't do! You have to eat to get all grown up."

"She's right Alphonse." the young priestess said, sipping at her water. She took the roll from Nina's hands and offered it to the boy.

Alphonse raised his hands up in a show of surrender. "Ah...I'm fine. Really." he looked over at his brother for answers, but sighed when Edward shifted his eyes down to his plate. Taking the bread from Kagome's hand, he muttered thanks and rubbed the back of his head. "It sure does look delicious."

Nina beamed. "Make sure you chew."

Opening his helmet slightly, Alphonse pushed the roll inside. "Mmm." he hummed. "Takes great."

Kagome smiled. "Good. Now eat the steak. Uncle Shou's steak is the best."

* * *

Later that night when everyone had retired to their bed, Kagome lay in hers, wide awake. She could not sleep for the fear of nightmares plaguing her sleep. She had woken up many times throughout her travels, every time she woke screaming out Sango's name or Inuyasha's, questioning why he betrayed her love. Rolling over in her bed, Kagome picked up the picture that used to be hidden in her father's book and ran her finger down the image.

"Papa...I need you." she whispered, holding the frame close to her chest. "I've been broken by the man I loved and witnessed my best friend's death." Tears welled up behind her eyelids and threatened to spill down her cheeks. "I don't even know if my son is okay. I fled the second I destroyed Naraku and restored the Jewel." "Papa...why'd you have to die?"

Soon, while hugging the picture of her family during happier times, the young priestess fell into a fitful sleep. Kagome woke up at two hour intervals throughout the night, but managed to keep her screams down to a minimum as she did not want to alarm the other people in the house. Especially little Nina. And once the sun beamed down through the window of her room, Kagome climb out of bed, replacing the photograph back on the bed stand. She walked out of her room yawning and stretching her hands over her head.

"Good Morning, Kagome."

Kagome turned around with a smile on her face. "Good Morning Alphonse. How'd you sleep?"

"Good." there was slight squeak to his voice. "And you?"

"Not good. I kept waking up through the night." she yawned again, rubbing her eyes. "I couldn't sleep because of all the new things I learned yesterday."

Alphonse laughed as he pointed down to his older brother, who was scratching his stomach with a drowsy look on his face. "Looks like you weren't the only one."

Kagome smiled at the two brothers before she went into the bathroom to change. She pulled off her pajamas and slipped on a white cotton sleeveless shirt that draped down to her upper thighs and a light blue skirt. Once she exited the bathroom, she greeted Nina with a smile and let the little girl lead her to the library where she and the Elric brothers continued their studies.

Over the course of the next month, they studied and studied, learning new things that they never imagined knowing about alchemy. Kagome finally learned that Edward's eyes were the same color as the half-demon she had once loved. Ed's eyes were more of a metallic gold, while Inuyasha's were a sunglow color and she formed a stronger friendship with him. But piqued her interest the most was why Alphonse continuously wore that heavy suit of armor.

Kagome looked up from the book she was reading _Concepts of Transmutation Circles_ and scouted the room for her two friends. "Ed? Al?" she questioned. When she received no answered, the priestess presumed that they were out in the courtyard practicing. _'Those jerks! Leaving me behind.'_ she walked out of the library and down the hall to the door that led out to the courtyard. Upon opening the door, a blast of chilly air struck her full force. "Cold!"

The priestess blinked several times before she realized that it was snowing and that Nina and the Elrics were making snow angels. A frown touched her lips. "You, guys, could have told me it was snowing!" she quickly went back inside and grabbed her coat and rushed back out doors, joining them in the snow.

They played in the white frozen water, making snowmen, throwing it at each other, teasing Edward when Alexander jumped on him, and helping Nina create snow angels. Soon they were worn out from their playing and lay sprawled out in the snow, laughing and breathing hard.

Nina rolled over and her stomach and crawled closer to Kagome, snuggling into her side. "I wish you could stay. I mean after you passed the test." she reached for Kagome's hand. "I'm having so much fun with 'Gome. It'll be lonely when you have to move to Central."

Edward rolled over on his side at the young girl's confession and saw her sitting in Kagome's lap, her bright blue eyes dulled. Narrowing his eyes, the blond picked up and stick and began drawing in the snow.

"What are you drawing, Little Big Brother?" the little girl asked.

"He's drawing a transmutation circle, Nina." Kagome answered, picking her up and carrying her over to where Ed and Al were.

Edward finished drawing the circle in the snow and tossed the stick to the side and pressed his hands down on it. "When I want a wish to come true, it helps." The circle began to glow a bright blue color as vine grew up from the snow. He grinned when he heard Nina's excited laughter and soon several orange flowers sprouted from the vines. Ed was happy that someone other than his brother and Kagome was not scared to witness a transmutation first hand.

"You made me magic flowers!" the little girl cheered as she bounced on Kagome's hip. She smiled when the priestess set her down and helped her braid the blossoms in a crown of flowers and placed them in her hair. "Thank you, 'Gome!"

"Decent work." a voice said behind them.

"Oh, Major Hughes." Edward said as he turned around.

Kagome looked up and saw a man with short black hair and bright hazel eyes hidden behind thin framed glasses. "Hello? Who are you?"

Hughes glanced over at the young girl and a smile tilted at his lips. "Oh, Ed? What's this? Found yourself a girlfriend?" he teased.

Edward turned red in the face as he clenched his fist, and anger mark appearing on his forehead. "No! She's not my girlfriend! She's just a friend!"

"I'm only a friend." Kagome said at the same time. She glanced over at Edward and a bright blush tinted her cheeks red. "Are you going to answer my question or not?"

"I'm sorry. I'm Major Maes Hughes." he dug around in his coat pocket as his eyes gleamed happily. "And this is my beautiful wife, Gracia!" he all but shoved the photo in Kagome's face as a bright smile tilted at his lips. "She's just so wonderful! Do you want to meet her? Of course you do!" he glanced over at Edward, "Oh yeah. I came for you Ed. Can't let you study through your birthday."

Alphonse turned to his brother, a happy pitch in his voice. "That's right. It's today!"

"You didn't tell me that it was your birthday, Ed." Kagome pouted as she shoved the major out of her face. "I would have gotten you a present."

Ed felt his eyes widened. "How'd you know that? I haven't told anyone yet."

Maes laughed as he replaced the picture of his wife in his pocket, leaning against the wall and looked smugly down at the blond. "I'm in the Investigation Department. Wouldn't make much of a major if I didn't know that."

Edward glanced down at Nina, who grabbed tighter onto Kagome's jacket.

"Don't worry. You're all coming. Couldn't throw a birthday dinner without his friends." he turned back to the priestess. "And of you still have to meet my beautiful wife, Gracia!" He grabbed Kagome's hand and proceeded to drag her out the gate and down the sidewalk, talking animatedly about his love for his wife.

* * *

"Welcome kids." A woman with short brown hair and smiling green eyes greeted the teens. "I've heard lots about you."

Maes wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. "This is my lovely wife, Gracia."

Edward's eyes widened. "You're stomach's a melon!" he cringed when Kagome smacked him in the back of the head. Rubbing the sore area he snapped, "What was that for?"

"You idiot. She's pregnant!" she said. Kagome turned a smile over to the older woman. "Can I touch your belly?"

Nina pouted and scrunched her little hands up. "Me too?"

Gracia placed her head in her hand, smiled gently down at the two girls. "Of course you can."

Kagome moved over and placed her hand on the woman's large protruding stomach, a wide grin on her face. Her eyes widened when she felt something kick her hand. "Nina!" she said happily. "Touch right here."

Nina placed both of her gloved hands on Gracia's stomach and her face broke out in a wide grin. "I felt it move!" she giggled as she looked up at her big cousin. "It feels funny."

Edward and Alphonse looked at each other with matching looks of horror. That did it. Girls were weird.

* * *

"Happy Birthday Edward!"

Ed smiled as he blew the candles out on his cake. He looked up and thanked everyone for the party in his honor and blushed when Hughes leaned down over his seat and whispered that since it was his birthday, he should ask Kagome for a dance. Ed snapped at him, saying at the priestess was just a friend.

Said priestess had teased him about how he was a year younger than her, plus the fact she's a girl, and she was still taller than him by an inch. Of course this set off his famous wrath as he took the comment the wrong way and began to chase Kagome around the table before he calmed down. Kagome laughed as she patted Ed on the back and said that one day he'll grow taller than everyone who teased him.

Gracia set a plate down in front of the blond as smiled warmly when he eagerly thanked her and began chowing down. Kagome, once again, teased him about his table manners were that of a little kid and this time Edward simply told her to shut up and continued eating. There was no way he was going to chase her around again with food near him.

Kagome laughed when Nina smiled up at her with frosting dotting her lips white and used her napkin to clean the little girl's face. Once everyone had settled down, conversing about various things Gracia walked back into the room, carrying a small silver pitcher.

"Who wants more birthday tea?" she smiled, even though her stomach was in knots.

Maes turned a smile at his wife. "Sounds wonderful." he jumped out of his seat when Gracia suddenly doubled over and fell to her knees. "Gracia! Are you okay?"

"Honey..." she panted. "It's here?"

"The tea?"

Gracia frowned and narrowed her eyes at her husband's stupid answer. "The baby!"

"Gyaah!" Maes scooted back. "But the doctor said next week?"

"Well, the baby just said now!" Gracia growled, pinching Maes's cheek. "And I'm pretty sure she gets to choose!"

Hughes whined as rubbed his throbbing face as he tried to console his wife. "Okay, okay, okay." he stood up, helping Gracia to her feet. "I'll get you bags."

"Uhm...Mr. Hughes..." Kagome said, pointing at the window. "There's a blizzard going on outside. It isn't safe for Mrs. Hughes to be out there."

Maes nodded his head vigorously as tightened his hands around Gracia's shoulders. "Right. I'll bring the doctor here!" he rushed out of the room, pulling on his coat. "You kids, take care of her!"

Edward held out his hand as if to stop the major from leaving. "Hey, wait! How do we do that?"

Kagome rose from her chair and moved over to the older woman and guided her to the living room and laid her on the couch. Her eyes turned stern as she began to bark out orders. "Ed! Go fetch some hot water! Al, go and get a lot of fresh towels." she turned to her little cousin. "Nina you stay with me."

The two Elric brothers rushed out of the room in order to get the things Kagome requested of them. The priestess took hold of Gracia's hand and used her handkerchief to wipe the sweat off her brow. She whispered encouraging things to the older woman and reassured her that Maes would return with the doctor and that her child would be healthy.

Ed burst into the room, a tug of boiling hot water cradled in his arms. Kagome briefly wonder why the water did not hurt his hands, but concluded it to the fact he was wearing his gloves. She told him to set the tub next to her and Gracia and soon Alphonse came back with the towels.

Kagome placed the warm cloth over the older woman's forehead. "How are you holding out, Mrs. Hughes?"

"I'm fine, Kagome. Thank you for your help."

Alphonse rubbed the back of his head. "I'm just glad that you're not in pain anymore."

The second those words left the younger brother, Gracia cringed in pain as the baby tried to kick its way out. Kagome shot Al a glare before tending to the older woman, squeezing her hand and changed the towel again. She glanced out of the window, searching for signs of the major, but saw none.

"He's been gone a long time." she muttered.

Edward leaned against the wall. "He probably had to walk."

Gracia suddenly arched back off the couch, tightening her hold on the priestess' hand. "Aargh! I can't do this! I'm dying!"

That sent the younger children in a panic and they ran in circles, trying to figure out what they should do. This carried on for a few minutes until Kagome snapped at them to quit yelling. She placed her hand on Gracia's stomach and sent her aura around the woman's body, alleviating her pain. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Edward clasp his hands together in agitation, cursing that alchemy could not help Mrs. Hughes.

" 'Gome?" Nina called from the floor, her little hands in the tub of clear water. "The water's gotten very cold."

Before the priestess could ask Ed if he would go and reheat the water, the blond had already grabbed the side of the bowl. Her eyes widened when she saw the blue light of a transmutation flow from his hands and steam wafted up from the water bowl.

Alphonse stepped up behind his brother, his voice an excited squeak. "Ed, what did you do?"

Edward removed his hands from the bowl, looking down at them. "I don't know.

"You did alchemy without a circle?" Kagome gasped, her blue eyes still wide as she stared at the steaming water in disbelief. Snapping her eyes over to the blond, the priestess questioned. "How did you do that?

He turned his gold eyes up at her. "I don't know. I just used my head."

Gracia let out a wail of pain, her grip on Kagome's hand becoming nearly bone crushing. "I can feel its head now!"

Kagome quickly snapped out her daze and placed her hand back on the older woman's stomach and her eyes shot open wide. The baby was crowning and wanted out. Slowly in a calm voice, the priestess said, "Ed. Al. You may want to leave the room."

Alphonse tilted his head to the side. "Why's that, Kagome?"

The priestess turned her head, looking at the two boys over her shoulder. "Because I'm going to deliver this baby!"

That got them out of the room faster than Kagome thought was possible. The priestess sighed and shook her head. Guys were such wusses when it came to childbirth. Signaling for Nina to come over, Kagome instructed the little girl to hold Gracia's hand and not let go no matter what. The young priestess lifted the blanket up to the older woman's knees and bent her legs.

"Mrs. Hughes. The baby is crowning now. I can see her head." Kagome said as she placed her hand on the woman's legs. Sucking a breath of her own, the priestess ordered for the woman to push and then a take a deep breath. The infant moved slightly when Gracia did as Kagome instructed and continued to move with every push then breath. When the child's shoulders were out, Kagome gently took hold of the bloody child and pulled her free.

Moving quickly, Kagome set the baby down on the couch and grabbed a pair of scissors, holding the blade in the steaming hot water for a few minutes, to sterilize it, before taking the child back in her arms. She lifted up the umbilical cord and snipped the end closest the baby. Kagome smiled up at Gracia. "She's beautiful, Mrs. Hughes." the priestess stood up to clean the child off and wrapped her in a white towel.

Upon handing the baby to the older woman, Maes burst to the door with the doctor in tow, tears streaming down his face. "Gracia! I brought the doctor!" he blinked several times when he saw that his daughter had been delivered before sliding his eyes over to Kagome, who had blood staining her top. "Kagome...you..."

The doctor quickly moved over and finished out the birthing process.

The priestess nodded. "Come on, Mr. Hughes." she smiled. "Come meet your daughter."

Maes walked over to the couch where his wife and child were resting and placed his hand gently on her tiny head. "She's so beautiful."

Gracia smiled up at her husband. "And it's all thanks to the other birthday boy and his friends."

Edward, who came back inside once Kagome had told him it was safe, rubbed the back of his head as he looked down at the floor. "I didn't do anything. Nothing a hot water heater couldn't do. Kagome deserves all the credit." he grinned up at the priestess.

Kagome looked away with a blush.

"Alchemy couldn't do anything for her. But moms truly are a miracle." Ed continued. "To be able to create life like that. It's amazing. Alchemist couldn't do that in a thousand years."

"Our mom did it, too." Alphonse commented softly.

The priestess watched her two friends drifted off in their own conversation, but she managed to pick up bit and pieces of what they were saying. From what she heard, Kagome drew to the conclusion that the brothers' mother was dead. The priestess blink rapidly at the sudden flash that almost blinded her. Holding her hand up, Kagome saw that Major Hughes had brought out the camera and was snapping picture after picture. She groaned when Maes insisted that she take a picture holding his daughter.

Reluctantly, the priestess agreed only after she forced Edward and Alphonse to join in the photo. Kagome held the baby close to her chest, hiding the blood stains with Ed to her right with his hands in his pockets, Al to her left and little Nina in front of her.

Maes held the camera up to his face. "Everyone say, Happy Birthday Elicia!"

* * *

After the birth of Hughes' daughter the three of them committed all their time to studying for their exam. They crammed as much knowledge into their brains as they could. They only stopped to play with Nina and Alexander when the little girl begged them to come out of the library.

Alphonse set down the book he was reading to look at his brother. "I've been thinking Brother." he said and once he gotten Ed's attention continued, "That night at the Hughes'. You changed the water without a circle."

Kagome looked up from her book and sat up on the bed. "Yeah. How'd you do it? Most people can't do that."

Edward shifted his eyes from his brother to Kagome and scratched the back of his head. "It was just a fluke." he laughed nervously. "Besides, I haven't been to do it since then and that was weeks ago."

The priestess pouted. "Still...I wanna learn to do it too."

"Me too!" Al chirped. "You proved that it's possible."

The blond looked at the pleading faces of his brother and Kagome, sighing as he knew that he would not win this. "Okay. How about I quiz you twice as much?"

They began to cram even harder as the day of the exam drew closer and closer. Kagome would often lock herself in her room to practice and when she emerged; her hair was always smoking and looked a bit singed, signaling that she felt a small Rebound every now and then. Edward seemed to be doing well with his practicing; the craftsmanship of his figurines improving greatly and Alphonse could recite all the various transmutation circles by memory now.

Things were looking up for the three teens.

* * *

Kagome scooped Nina up; since the little girl had fallen asleep on Alexander in front of the fireplace. She turned around and sat back on the couch next to her uncle as he continued to explain the exam to them.

"It's always the same." he began, pushing his glasses up further on his nose. "Written test, then an interview, then practical skills. There's no way to know how many people will apply. But the state only accepts one or two each year."

Gold and blue eyes widened. The state only chose one or two? But the three of them were striving to become State Alchemist? Now they had to fight to secure a position. Kagome glanced over at her friends and silently said a whisper of apology. Technically she was cheating since she had priestess abilities to aid her alchemy. Perhaps, she should tell them the truth. They have gotten so much closer in the past month they've known each other.

Kagome snapped her attention back to her uncle when he continued when Al asked just what all happened during the interview.

"That varies, I think." he rubbed his chin. "With me they mainly asked questions, but I've heard physicals are pretty common too."

Alphonse froze up; the action did not go unnoticed by the priestess. "You don't say."

"After that, if you pass the first two, comes the hardest challenge, the practical skills. Half bring their results of their research, like I did, and half demonstrate on the spot." Shou continued. He glanced down at his niece. "You have what you're going to do, right Kagome."

The priestess nodded. After all her trials and errors with her alchemy, Kagome finally perfected her technique that she was going to use. She sent a sad look at the two brothers, but she needed to become a State Alchemist more than they did. The young priestess needed to become stronger in order to protect her loved ones. Strengthening her resolve, Kagome decided that she would explain her full reason for why she desired to be a State Alchemist. Maybe, one of them will drop out and let her take his place.

* * *

Kagome stood outside of her friend's door, dressed in her pajamas as she contemplated on how she was going to tell them her reasoning. Before she could knock on their door, she heard Ed's voice.

"Dammit all!" he cursed."What am I going to do? I didn't think I'd needed a demonstration. My little trinkets aren't going to get me in."

Alphonse' voice was next. "And what about a physical?" he sounded worried and his next words confirmed it. "They could open up my armor and see that there's-"

"Quiet Al!" Edward snapped. "We can't let anyone know."

"Brother..." Al murmured. "I think we should tell Kagome. We can trust her."

"Yeah, maybe we should," Ed commented.

The priestess took this as her chance to rap her fist gently on the surface of their room door. She shuffled on her feet as she waited with bated breath from one of them to open the door. When the entrance opened, Kagome found herself staring into the golden eyes of Edward. She plastered a smile on her face. "Hi, Ed. I wanted to talk."

Ed smiled lightly. "So did us."

It was then that they revealed their secrets. Kagome told them about her adventures in the past, pulling out her necklace to show them the proof of her travels. She told them of how her first love betrayed her and her best friend was slain before her very eyes. The priestess talked out the little fox demon she'd adopted since his parents were killed; talked to them about Kouga and Sesshoumaru. Everything. Kagome even told them about her recurring nightmares that plague her at night.

"That's why I want to be a State Alchemist no matter what. I want to become stronger so that I can protect everyone I love. I don't want to be classified as a weak little girl." she stated looking at the brothers.

"Your past was pretty rough, but I think ours tops it." Edward said as he stood up and unzipped his jacket. "You see, Al and I committed the number one taboo of alchemy." he yanked his jacket off, revealing the secret he's been hiding from the priestess, his automail arm. "We performed Human Transmutation."

Alphonse looked down at Kagome. "Brother lost his right arm and left leg, while I lost my entire body." he reached up and pulled the helmet of his armor off, revealing the emptiness inside. "Don't be alarmed, Kagome." Al said when he heard her surprised gasped.

Ed narrowed his eyes at the priestess. "You're afraid of us now." he said bitterly.

Kagome shook her head as she rose to her feet. She crossed the small distance that separated them and pressed her fingers against the cool metal of Ed's right arm. Trailing them down, she laced her hand with Edward's automail and brought it to her cheek. "I could never be afraid of you two. You're my friends." She moved her other hand to grab hold of Al's and brought it to her chest. "You guys are my special friends. I don't care if you committed a taboo. We will find a way to make them pick all three of us as State Alchemists!" she smiled a toothy grin.

Edward and Alphonse looked at each other before decided that they had found a great friend in Kagome.

"Come on, let's get some last minute studying in before the test tomorrow." the priestess said, pulling the two boys over to the desk that was littered with books.

* * *

The day finally came. It was time for them to take the State Exam. Dozens of other people lined up in front of the building, but as Kagome noticed, she was the only female there. Feeling a little intimidated, the priestess shrunk back behind her two friends.

Al looked back and saw Kagome standing still just at the bottom of the stairs with Nina. "What's wrong Kagome? The preliminaries are about to start."

"Oh, sorry, Al." she murmured as she let go of Nina's hand. She ordered for Alexander to watch over the child, even though she knew that the large dog would. Kagome drug her feet up to the stairs and took her place between the two brothers, her heart racing in her chest. She felt someone take hold of her hand and looked down to see Edward wrapping his fingers around it. "Ed?"

"Stop worrying." he said. "You'll do fine. Don't let those men intimidate you."

The priestess nodded, though she hated being lectured by someone younger than her. Deciding to have a little fun before they go and take their exams, Kagome said, "Big words coming from such a little guy."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT'S HE'S KNEE HIGH TO A GRASSHOPPER!"

Kagome giggled as she raced up the stairs with Edward chasing after with his fist raised in the air. Teasing Ed about his height was quickly becoming one of her favorite sources of entertainment.

* * *

Führer King Bradley rapped his gavel down a few times to gain the attention of the participants of the Exam. A warm smile spread over his lips as his good eye crinkled at the corners. "We'll now begin the preliminary exams. Good luck! Begin!"

Hours later, people began to file out of the buildings, decreasing the amount of people who were still testing drastically. Outside, little Nina looked around for signs of her friends and older cousins, smiling when she spotted the tall suit of armor. " 'Gome! Big Brothers!" she waved, running over to them with Alexander at her heels. "How'd it go?"

Edward hung his head down. "I didn't finish and my wrist feels like spaghetti."

Kagome smiled sadly over at Ed. "Same here, except I managed to finish. Man, I hate tests!"

Alphonse looked down as well, a grey shadow casting over his head. "I got through, but next comes the interview."

The priestess looked up when a man with shaggy black hair and onyx eyes approached her friends and asked to speak with them. When the Elrics nodded and explained that they would be back soon, Kagome glanced over at Nina. "Do you know who that was?"

The little girl nodded. "Uh huh! That's Lt. Colonel Mustang. He brought Big Brothers to daddy's house a few days before you came, 'Gome!"

"I wonder what he's saying to Ed and Al." Kagome mused.

* * *

"He did what?" the priestess screeched, her eyes flashing dangerously. Edward had just informed her that Alphonse, under the order of Roy Mustang, dropped out from the Exam. "Why would you let Al do that?"

Ed lowered his head. "There was a high chance of our secret being blown. We had no choice. One of us has to become a State Alchemist in order to get us back normal."

Kagome's eyes softened considerably. Ed was a good brother to Alphonse. A smile tilted at her lips as she reached for his right hand and pulled it to her cheek. "We'll get in for sure then, Ed."

The blond felt his lips pull up in a small smile as he curled his fingers around his friend's cheek. "Yeah, we will."

* * *

Kagome stood in front of the interview room with Edward, holding his right hand tightly in hers. She stole a glance at the boy beside her and saw the determination in his golden eyes. Squeezing his automail hand, Kagome waited for him to look at her. "It would seem like you're ready. You go on before me."

"You sure, Kagome?" Ed said.

"Yeah." she released his hand and gave him a small push towards the door. Kagome went and sat on the stairs as she waited for her turn and she thought about what she would say. She knew for a fact that Ed was going to explain his promise to Al, with minor details of course. But what should the young priestess say? That she desired to be stronger? No. They'll probably just laugh at her and shoo her away. Kagome fisted her hands in her hair and pulled. "Aargh! What am I going to say?"

A hand tapped her on the shoulder. "Kagome? I'm back."

The priestess jumped at the closeness of Edward's voice and turned to see the blond standing not even two feet from her. "Ah! Ed! That was quick. How'd it go?"

"Think I have a good shot at making it to the practicals." he grinned, flashing the thumbs up.

Kagome smiled at her friend and rose to her feet. "I guess it's my turn. Wish me luck."

"Good luck, Kagome."

The priestess took a deep breath to calm her nerves before slowly opening the door of the interview room. Peeking her head inside, Kagome saw that the judge panel consisted of Fürher King Bradley, Brigadier General Basque Grand, and Major General Hakuro. She narrowed her eyes when she saw that one of the guards stationed was Roy Mustang, the man who ordered Alphonse to drop out. Kagome stepped inside and instantly her eyes landed on the three-legged golden chair in the center.

"Take a seat, Mrs. Higurashi." Bradley said as he stared the young woman down. "Alchemy is the science of balance. If you have the gift, it will not refuse you." He challenged her with his dark green eye, daring her to run away. "Go on, then. State Alchemists cannot be afraid."

Gritting her teeth at his taunts, the priestess swiftly moved over to the chair and sat down with ease, crossing her legs and placing her hands in her lap. A smile spread over her lips at the dumbfounded looks in the Lt. Colonel's eyes. She looked back up at the Fürher and saw that he had a smile on his face.

"Very good." He folded his hands together and placed his chin on top of them. "Now tell me why you want to be an alchemist for our military."

Kagome swallowed dryly as she clenched her hands in the green skirt of her uniform. Why she chose to where the outfit she'd worn during her days in the Feudal era, Kagome did not know. The priestess chalked it up to her mind automatically pulling out the clothes she'd spent all her adventures in. "To be honest, sir." She began, "At first I had no idea why I wanted to serve the military. I thought long and hard about what I would say and could not come up with anything but this." Reaching up, Kagome grasped the golden locket around her throat. "I wanted to become stronger. I'm a priestess and yet, I'm weak. I want to be able to protect my loved ones."

Bradley narrowed his eyes at the young girl.

"I know the casualties that will come along with me wanting to be a part of the military, but I've seen things that no thirteen year old girl should witness." Kagome bit her lip to keep her choking out a sob as she recalled her times in the past, but she knew that now was not the time for tears. "I also want to help my two friends with their quest and perhaps serving the military will let me do so."

"You say you've seen things that no girl your age should see." The Fürher said, cocking his head to the side. "Mind telling what those things are."

Kagome hardened her eyes as she stared the panel down, her lips twisting up in frown. "Betrayal and death. I'd rather not go into details about my past." Holding up the silver chain, she broadcast the Sacred Jewel to the board. "And because of those things, I'm broken. Because of this, I'm always in fear." Dropping the chain the pink gem fell against her chest with a low 'thump.' "I don't want to be in fear in more. My father always told me "Fear is just a weakness of the mind." I don't want to be weak. Do you want to know more?"

The Führer say the pain and suffering in her large dark blue eyes and knew that this young girl had indeed seen things that should not have been seen. Waving his hand back and forth, Bradley said, "No, Mrs. Higurashi." He turned his eyes down to the score paper and scribbled down a few things before going on with the next round of questions.

* * *

That night, Kagome decided that she wanted to stay with Edward and Alphonse, saying that maybe if they were together on the night before the practicals she and Ed would have a higher chance of realizing their wishes. The young priestess had tucked herself in between the two brothers with her head pillowed by the blond's automail and legs thrown over Alphonse's.

"Hey, Brother…" the younger Elric whispered in a low voice.

"Yeah, Al?"

"Can we bring Kagome with us?"

Edward's golden eyes widened with shock. It was not the question itself that caused it, but the fact the Al asked it with such ease; like the priestess belong with them. Rolling over on his side to look at his brother over Kagome's head, Ed arched a brow, "You think we should?"

"Yeah!" Al said, "I think that she could even help us get our bodies back to normal. But…" he trailed off.

"But what?"

Alphonse turned his head and looked his brother directly in the eyes. "What if she doesn't want to go with us?"

"Don't worry about that Al." the blond said. "We'll ask her tomorrow after the practicals." He shifted back over and stared at the ceiling. "I'm positive that Kagome and I will become State Alchemist."

"Okay, Brother. I hope we chose right." The younger brother sighed. "Because I don't want to be in this suit anymore. I want to feel things again. Ever since meeting Kagome and becoming her friend, I want to feel again. I'm right beside you guys and yet I don't know or can't remember what your skin feels like or how you smell."

* * *

Kagome pinched her arm again, yelping in pain at the stinging burn that came. She rubbed the red mark on her arm gently, placing her hand over it and when she moved it the skin was back to normal. As a priestess, being able to heal things was one of the perks. It was also how she was going to impress the judges. Kagome was going to combine her priestess abilities with her alchemy. Glancing over at Ed, the priestess grabbed his right hand. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

Nina stepped forward and grabbed onto Edward's red cloak, shaking her head. "Not yet!"

The priestess bent down on her knees and tilted her head to the side. "What's wrong, Nina?"

The little girl fidgeted as she hid something behind her back. She looked up at Alphonse when he encouraged her to show then what she did. Taking hold of her big cousin's hand, Nina placed a rolled up piece of paper in Kagome's palm. "I made something for you."

Edward walked up behind the priestess and his eyes widened at what was drawn on the sheet. It was a picture of him, Kagome, Alphonse, Nina, and Alexander playing in the snow with smiles on their faces and in the center of them was the transmutation circle he drew. "Nina…"

"It's a circle for your wish." The little girl smiled.

Kagome handed the blond the drawing before scooping her little cousin up and hugging her tightly. "Thanks, Nina." She kissed Nina on the cheek before setting her down. Turning back to Edward, Kagome nodded and together they walked inside the building where the practicals were being held.

* * *

"Welcome to the practical skills exam." The Führer announced, his hands folded behind his back. "We've provided you with some nice raw materials for your alchemy." He gestured to the hundreds of tall trees, lakes of water, and large stones in the secluded area. "You may use them to create whatever you see fit."

Ed looked over at Kagome, a frown creasing his brow, "Gee, nice guidelines. Just what the heck are we supposed to create to impress them?"

Kagome watched intently as a man rushed over to the grassless terrain and drew his circle into the ground. The second his hands were pressed against the floor a tower sprung up, growing taller and taller until it was well above three stories. She saw the sweat dripping from his forehead as he managed a weak smile and tried to stand, but failed. "Impressive detail." She turned a sly grin over at her friend. "Much better than yours."

"Oh shut up!" he huffed. "But from the looks the judges are giving him, you can't get tired."

The priestess nodded and stepped forward. "I'll go next." Moving over to the lake, Kagome touched the locket around her neck for comfort and cupped her hands before dipping it in the water. Carefully making her way over to her experimental tree, the young priestess poured the water around the base. Once she was down, Kagome placed her fingertips against the tree and left its pain, it was suffering from a fungus that was slowly eating away at its roots, causing a slow death. "This tree has root rot."

Bradley smiled. "Yes, it does."

"You poor thing." Kagome murmured to the tree, stroking the base. "I'm going to help you." Placing a translucent pink barrier around the tree, leaving a small hole so that she could have access to what she was about to do. Weaving her hands in an intricate way, lightning began to spark from her fingers and once she charged up a good current, she touched the tree. The moment her electrically charge hands touched the bark; it went up in flames, burning everything inside the barrier to ashes. Kagome closed off the hole and smothered the fire.

"That's a nice trick you did girly, but it's time for a man to show you how it's really done." The man who spoke pushed past Edward and drew his circle. Dragging a few fallen trees over and pouring a bucket of water over them, he placed his hands on the transmutation circle.

Kagome ignored the man in favor of taking the ash of the fallen tree in her hands and felt the faint signs of life that was still there and quickly drew a circle. Closing her eyes, the priestess grasped onto it and concentrated on bringing it back. She infused her hands with her priestess powers as the soft pink glow of her alchemy sparked to life. Kagome placed all her concentration into using that bit of life that the tree was hanging onto and failed to notice that the pink gem hidden under her shirt began to flash brightly.

Edward watched as the young priestess struggled with her alchemy and for a brief second he was afraid that she would not make it. He did not want to see her dreams crushed. The alarmed cries of the other alchemist caught his attention and he looked up to see that man's creation burst and fly towards the tower. It crashed into the building, crushing it beneath its weight. Large pieces of stone fell and Ed's golden eyes widened when he saw one of the rocks head for Kagome.

"Kagome!" Running full speed over to his friend, Ed gritted his teeth at the possibility that he would not make it in time. In a desperate panic, he clapped his hands together before pressing them to the ground and just as a blue light surrounded the tower and the crumbling building; a pink light swirled around Kagome.

Mustang smirked. "Alchemy without circles." Sliding his onyx eyes over to the young girl, his mouth fell open at what he saw.

Kagome was now standing to her feet, her hands cradling a small sapling that had sprouted from the ashes of the fallen tree. She looked up at the sky when a pink petal fell in front of her face and saw a giant wreath with angel wings floating in the sky. Glancing over at her friend, who was standing just a few feet from her and looking at his hands in disbelief, she put two and two together. Edward had transmuted without a circle. Placing a smile on her face, the priestess walked over to her friend.

"You did it, Edward!" she cheered.

The blond smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "It was nothing." He looked down at the sapling in her hands. "Kagome…did you?"

"Mhmm." She nodded. "This is the same tree I struck with lightning. It's been reborn."

Führer King Bradley walked over to the two teens. "I think we found our alchemist." He smiled, placing his hand on Ed's head. He looked over at Kagome, who lowered her head in disappointment before putting his other on her head. "I mean alchemists. Mrs. Higurashi, could I see that plant in your hands."

Kagome turned her large blue eyes up at the Führer and wide smile on her face as she nodded vigorously. She handed over the little sapling to Bradley and saw his eye widen with shock. Biting her lip, the young priestess asked, "Is something wrong?"

"You really did it?" he thought aloud. "You killed the tree and brought it back as a sapling." Turning a smile at Kagome, Bradley said, "You both pass. Welcome to the Military, Edward Elric and Kagome Higurashi."

* * *

"You did it!" Alphonse cheered as he picked Kagome up and spun her around. Cocking his helmet to the side, he stared accusingly down at the priestess, "So that's why you hide away in your room when you were practicing your transmutations. You didn't want us to see!"

Kagome giggled as she pushed away from the younger brother and jumped down on her feet. "No. I just didn't want you to see me get zapped by my own lightning." She turned her head and looked at Edward, who was unusually quiet. Normally when they were talking about alchemy the older brother happily joined in the conversation. "Hey, Ed? What are you think?"

The blond shoved his hands in his pockets as he lowered his head until his long bangs hid his eyes. "Say, Kagome, since we're both State Alchemist, I've wanted to ask you this." Reaching over, with his left hand and not the automail, he grabbed the priestess' hand. "Do you want to come with me and Al? Today marks a big turning point for us, you know. Someday I swear to get Al back the way he was and I want you to help us."

Alphonse hefted Nina up on his shoulders, who was starting to fall asleep on her feet. "We'd really like it if you did, Kagome."

The young priestess did not know what to say so she looped her arms through her two friends' arms and drug them down the road. "Of course, you dolts!" she laughed. "What kind of friend would I be if I refused you?"

Edwards smiled as he looked over at his brother, who shook his metal head. As long as they had Kagome with them, they were sure that one day they would get their bodies back to normal. They could trust this priestess.

* * *

Oh wow! This is the first time I've made my first chapter so long! I guess I was so excited about writing it; I did not want to stop. I will admit, I borrowed bits and pieces of the exam idea from chika1345 (Go read her fic, Priestess Alchemist!), primarily Kagome bringing the tree back to life, but the rest of the fic is all mine! I'm happy with how it turned out. Tell me what you liked and disliked in a review please!

P.S. I did not want to the 'relative of Roy Mustang' idea since it's kind of overused and I wanted Kags to meet the brothers at an early age.

~Kirei Ai Tenshi


	2. Chapter 2

Hi! I'm back with another chapter! I'm so happy that you guys like my fic. I really tried to make it different from the other ones out there, but I doubt it'll ever be as good as chika1345's. Her fic is awesome and I love it! Anyway, onwards to the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or Inuyasha...but I do have a State Alchemist Pocket Watch! I loves it!

Pairings: Kagome/Edward and Winry/Alphonse

Rating: T (subject to change as characters get older)

Summary: Upon witnessing both Inuyasha's betrayal and her best friend's death, a broken Kagome returns home. Now, she's determined to become stronger. Strong enough to protect her loved ones. But finding love was the last thing on her mind.

* * *

The Sacred Alchemist

* * *

Kagome smiled as she accepted her silver pocket watch, signaling her status as a State Alchemist. Quickly wrapping the chain around her waist, the priestess allowed the watch to hang off her hips like an impromptu belt. Turning to flash Edward a grin, Kagome frowned when she saw Lt. Colonel Roy Mustang toss her friend's pocket watch at him carelessly.

"Here. You should take this with you."

Ed caught the silver watch and sighed in relief when he did not drop it. He turned a sheepish grin to the priestess and clipped the watch to his belt loop and slid it in his pocket. "You know I was expecting a more poignant. Trumpets or something."

Roy looked up from the papers on his desk before sliding one to both of the children. A smirk tilted at his lips. "Congrats, you two. You're dogs of the military now." he turned to the blond-haired man with a cigarette sticking out of his mouth. "Lt. Havoc, take them home."

Havoc pulled the smoke out of his mouth as he rose out of seat and saluted, "Yes, sir."

* * *

Edward perched his head up in his hand as he rode in the back seat on the way back to Kagome's uncle house. A frown tilted at his lips when he recalled the smug look on Roy's face as he called the priestess a dog of the military. Just because Kagome was the youngest female State Alchemist did not give the Lt. Colonel the rights to call her that.

Kagome, hearing the low growl the blond gave, stopped talking to Havoc in favor of grabbing Ed's hand and making him look at her. "Hey, don't get upset about what Lt. Colonel Mustang said get to you. Technically we are dogs of the military."

"That's not it." he looked away from his friend. "It's the way he said it."

Havoc took his eyes off the road for a split second. "He's just got his mind on a case now. Teasing you is the only thing keeping him sane now."

The priestess cocked her head to the side, her dark blue eyes staring curiously at the lieutenant. "What case?"

"There's a serial killer around, only targets women."

Kagome grabbed Edward's red cloak and hid behind it, her eyes wide with shock. "Only women?"

Ed smirked down at the priestess. "What are you scared for? You're a State Alchemist now, missy."

"Don't call me missy, Shorty!" the dark-haired girl hissed, pulling on his braid.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT HE COULD BE A HOBBIT!" He swung his hands out at the priestess only to be stopped by her feet as she pushed him back with a grin on her face. Once he calmed down from his agitation, Edward turned back to Havoc. "That sounds like police business. Why does he care?"

Havoc rolled down the window as he flipped another cigarette in between his lips and lit it, letting out a stream of white smoke. "It's the military's backyard. It's dishonorable. Mustang cares about stuff like that."

Kagome crossed her arms over her chest when she remembered how the Lt. Colonel kept Alphonse from taking the exam. "Or he wants a promotion." she said bitterly. Even now, the young priestess was still upset about that. She really wanted all three of them to be State Alchemist. "Itai!" she whined when Havoc suddenly stopped the car, causing her to lurch forward and hit her head on the seat. It did not make things better when Edward crashed into her, his automail grazing her cheek.

"It's true." the lieutenant commented as smoke left the corner of his mouth and he turned around to look at them fully. "Mustang's no political novice. He'll do whatever he has to move up the chain around here. But is that's all he was about, we wouldn't follow him."

The priestess held her head in her hands as she glared up at the older blond and opened her mouth to snap at him, but Edward beat her.

"Tell me then, what else is he about?" he questioned, his gold eyes narrowed.

Havoc stared down at the teens for a few seconds longer before sighing and turning back around, starting the car back up. "You'll learn soon enough."

They rode in silence the rest of the way back to East City. Kagome started fiddling with her pocket watch, adjusting the time and admiring the craftsmanship of the cap. The elegant rise of the Amestrian Dragon circumscribed in a hexagon as a half-circle of little arrow traveled the length below is what made the watch unique and beautiful. A smile spread over her lips. This was a symbol of her strength.

"Hey, Ed?" she said, looking over at her friend. A soft gasp left her lips when the blond glanced over at her. The rays from the sun highlighted his hair, making it look like it was spun from gold and his eyes were bright and lively. He looked much older than what he really was. Willing away the sudden urge to blush, Kagome held up the slip of paper Roy had given her. "Wanna see what's written on them?"

Edward shook his head. "Nah, let's wait until we're with Al. I'm sure he'll want to be with us when we find out our codenames."

Kagome put her finger on her chin. "True." a grin appeared on her lips when she saw the large estate that made up her uncle's house and bounced excitedly in her seat. "Look! We're almost there!" the priestess barely gave Havoc time to fully stop the car before she sprung up out and ran over to the metal suit that made up her other friend. "Al! Alphonse! Look!" she broadcast her watch, unclipping it from her hips to let him hold it.

"Whoa!" Al said, an excited pitch in his voice. He looked back up at the priestess and the glowing red orbs that made up his eyes seemed to shine with happiness. "Is that the real thing?"

Ed grinned as he held up his own watch. "Yep!" he jumped back when Alexander suddenly charged at him, aiming to swipe the silver clock out of his hands. The dog leapt again, successfully snatching the trinket out the older brother's hands and commenced a game of chase. "Give that back, you stupid mutt!" he growled as he ran after the Great Pyrenees. "Does that have a big tag on it that says 'Alexander?' Does it smell like rawhide?"

Alphonse laughed as he gave Kagome back her watch, who quickly snapped it back around her for the fear of having the same happen to her. "Guess he's still Ed."

"Look, I promise to make you something. Maybe a twenty-pound bone!" he smirked when the dog paused for a moment, but growled when Alexander took off again around the courtyard with a happy bark. "Alexander! Give it back!"

Kagome giggled behind her hands as she walked up to the big dog and placed her fingers between her lips, whistling loudly. She placed her hand on Alexander's head when he ran up to her wagging his tail. "Good boy, Alexander." she praised. "Now, give me the pretty watch." the priestess held out her hand, smiling when the Great Pyrenees dropped the trinket in her palm. Kagome walked over to her friend and placed the wet watch in his hands. "Here you go."

Ed held the slobbery trinket with two fingers and away from him. "Gee, thanks."

Havoc walked over to Shou. "Your tenant and niece are becoming quite the stars." he rubbed the back of his head when he watched Ed duck and dodge the big dog from taking his watch again. "Who would've thought that not only a twelve-year-old boy, but a thirteen-year-old girl could actually pass the exam." he elbowed Shou and said slyly, "I heard Kagome brought a tree back as a sapling. She may just steal your codename, eh? Sewing-Life Alchemist."

Shou's eyes widened briefly before a nervous chuckle let his throat. "They are prodigies. Hopefully that's a blessing."

"Alexander!" Edward growled as the dog took hold of his watch's chain and commencing a small game of tug-o-war.

Kagome's uncle clapped his hands together. "So, to honor Kagome and Edward's ground-breaking achievement, we're going to have a feast." he smiled as he looked down at the children. "What do you say?"

Nina tossed her hand up in the air as she bounced around on Al's lap. "Hooray!"

"That's sounds awesome, Uncle Shou!" Kagome grinned, running to hug her uncle tightly.

Ed stopped pulling to look at Shou with wide golden eyes. "Are you serious?" Alexander took this distraction, yanking the chain from Edward's hands and running off the watch once more. "Ah! Get back here, you mutt!"

Shou turned back to Havoc, a pleased smile on his face. "Would you like to join us, Lieutenant?"

"Sorry. Full Schedule."

"Is that so?" the Sewing-Life Alchemist turned on his heels.

Havoc held up his hand, calling out, "Oh, Mr. Tucker, the Lt. Colonel asked me to pass a message along." he paused, waiting for the other man to look back at him. "Your assessment day's coming up. He says he's looking forward to it."

Shou hesitated for a moment, his glasses hiding away the look in his grey-blue eyes. "Yes. I'm sure he is."

* * *

Later on that night, the dinner table was stacked full of delicacies from all over Amestris. Medium-rare steak topped with asparagus with a special sauce drizzled around it, shrimp cocktail dipped in sweet butter sauce, apple-cranberry salad topped with chopped pecans, and chocolate French silk phyllo petites. The aroma from the feast made the children's mouths water. Shou Tucker really had outdone himself with it.

Kagome clapped her hands together happily. "Wow, Uncle Shou! It looks really delicious!" she began to fix her plate, taking a little bit of everything with a smile on her face.

Ed took a bite of shrimp. "So, Mr. Tucker, this assessment deal? Is that something the state does?"

Shou lowered his fork, the tender meat of the steak slipping off the tines and back on his plate. "Mhmm." he nodded. "If I don't submit meaningful findings from my research each year; they'll revoke my certification as a State Alchemist."

"Wow..." the priestess commented the same time as Al. "That's a lot of pressure."

"Last year, I didn't exactly get a positive assessment. So this year, it's do or die." he chuckled sadly.

Nina lifted her fork in the air, steak sauce staining the corners of her lips. "Let'em have it, Daddy!" she giggled when Kagome reached over and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Thanks 'Gome!"

Alphonse tilted his head happily at the two females of the table before looking back over at Shou. "I know. Why don't you make another talking Chimera?"

Ed pointed his fork at the Sewing-Life Alchemist, a wide grin on his face. "Yeah, and we'll be around to see it this time!"

Kagome looked up from her plate, a piece of spinach hanging from between her teeth. She pulled the leafy green inside her mouth and chewed it before saying, "What's a chimera?" She narrowed her eyes at the blond when he started to laugh so hard that he choked on the piece of steak he'd eaten. "What?"

"You're a State Alchemist now and you still don't know what a chimera is?" Ed chuckled, holding his sides. He grinned sheepishly when the priestess yanked his braid while telling him to shut up. "Ah, sorry." the blond apologized as he removed her tiny hand from his hair. "A chimera is a creature synthesized by alchemically "marrying" two or more dissimilar living beings into a new, complete form displaying attributes of its "components."

Shou turned a smile down at the older brother, grateful for his explanation. "That's what everyone asks for. I promise that you all will see the result."

The young priestess grinned up at her uncle, holding her plate up for him to see that she eaten everything and reached for the chocolaty treat that she loved. Scooping a bit of the fluffy mixture into her mouth, Kagome wiggled with happiness. "It takes just like Aunt Akemi's!" Spooning another bite, she turned a smile down at her little cousin. "She made the best chocolate French silk phyllo petites ever!"

Upon seeing the pure bliss on his friend's face, Edward hurriedly finished his food. Once he'd finished, he got his helping of the dessert and a wide grin stretched his lips. "It tastes great!" he flashed Kagome a grin.

Kagome blushed slightly at the wide smile on Ed's face. He looked adorable with chocolate smeared across his mouth, like a little kid. "Your table manners are just like a little kid's."

"QUIT CALLING ME LITTLE, DAMMIT!" the blond roared, his eyes dark and teeth gritted. Even though he was glaring at the priestess, Edward continued to eat his treat and soon his happy bliss was back.

* * *

Edward opened the letter that Lt. Colonel Mustang had given him and read it out loud. "_This official document certifies that the nation of Amestris, prefecture of_ _the Generalissimo appoints the name Fullmetal to Edward Elric in the name of Führer King Bradley. The State Alchemist shall follow all orders and policies of the military. A research assessment examination shall be held once every year. In the case that the State Alchemist does not show signs of progress as a result of the examination, he shall be discharged from the services of State Alchemist. The State Alchemist is entitled to the use of ample research funds, unrestricted access to classified documentation, access to various governmental facilities, and a military rank equal to that of "Major"._

_**- King Bradley**_" He flashed a grin at his friends and turned the paper around so that they could see the official seal stamped on it.

Kagome arched her brow at the blond. "Fullmetal? That's a weird name." she kicked her feet back and forth, hitting the side of the bed. "If I remember correctly Fullmetal in Japanese is 'hagane', which is a term that denotes someone of obstinate disposition." she pulled her paper out of her pocket. "I wonder what my name is.

An anger mark appeared on Ed's brow as he swiped Kagome's letter out of her hands, ripping the little stamp on it. "My name's weird?!" he barked. "Well, let's see what yours is then!" His eyes scanned over the sheet, mumbling out the words as he read the same thing that his had said. "What! Sacred-Life!" he groaned. "Why'd you get such a cool name?"

The priestess giggled, but on the inside she was holding back tears. Why did they give her a codename that would remind her of her past? Looking back up at her friend, she saw him at his desk scribbling down something. Standing up, Kagome peered over his shoulder. "Who are you writing to?"

"A person." he grumbled as he scratched down another sentence. "It doesn't matter."

Alphonse walked over to Ed's other side, a teasing pitch in his voice. "Oh. I bet it's to Winry, isn't it?"

A blush exploded over the blond's face as he covered the piece of paper with his arms. "It's just a simple report! Passed the alchemy exam! How's the weather! That kind of stuff."

Nina stopped her drawing and smiled up at Ed. "Winry's a pretty name. But I like 'Gome's name better. Is she your girlfriend?"

"As a matter of fact..." Al trailed off.

"She's not! She's not! She's not! We're friends!" Edward denied over and over again. "Winry's like a sister to me and nothing more!"

Kagome did not know why she felt relief fill her body when the blond said that this 'Winry' person was only like a sister to him. Why should it matter to her if Ed liked someone. The priestess just met the guy a little over a month ago. It was not like she was trying to find love anyway. Her heart was still in pain from witnessing Inuyasha's betrayal. _'I bet he's lying about her being a sister to him. His reaction says he likes her.'_

Edward glanced over at the priestess and sad the forlorn look on her face, the pain etched into her brow and shifted his eyes to the floor before sitting back down at the desk. Stealing another look at Kagome, he saw just how much older she looked when she was sad and that was not the Kagome he befriend. The girl he became friends with was bubbly, happy, and maybe a bit of an airhead when it came to certain parts of alchemy. But one thing's for sure, Edward did not like it when the priestess looked like that.

Nina returned to her drawing, coloring in a face as she chirped. "I'm writing a letter to my mom."

"Oh, yeah. Aunt Akemi is living with her parents. Do they live that far away." Kagome kneeled down on the floor next to the child, smiling at the picture of her that Nina drew.

The little girl scribbled in a drawing of Alphonse, picking up a grey crayon. "Yeah, she does." she stopped coloring for a second, her eyes getting watery. "Hopefully, she'll reply this time."

The priestess narrowed her eyes. Why would a mother not reply back to her little four-year-old daughter. As a matter of fact, what kind of mother would leave her child behind? That certainly did not sound like her aunt. She watched as Alphonse rose from his seat on the bed and placed his hand on her cousin's head, making the little girl smile up at him.

A few hours later, with Nina asleep on Kagome's lap, her drawing complete, Shou knocked on the door before entering. He smiled down at his daughter and niece. They looked so cute together as they slept comfortably against the side of the bed. Shou bent and scooped Nina off of the priestess and in his arms.

"I hate to trouble you, but could you take Kagome to her room?" he asked as he shifted his hold on Nina.

"Sure." Alphonse said as he bent and took hold of the picture the little girl drew and handed it to Shou. "Here."

The older man gazed down at the picture, easily signaling out the drawing of his wife and he sighed. "My wife...she just couldn't stand being poor and left us. As luck would have it, I joined the State Alchemists practically the next day." a sad smile appeared on his lips. "The state's been good to me all these years. They've given me this mansion; this entire lifestyle. If I don't pass the assessment, we'll go back to way things were. Sometimes I doubt we could."

"You can pass it, just like Ed." Nina and Kagome murmured sleepily at the same time.

Edward looked down at the priestess and found that she was still fast asleep. With a slight smile on his face, the blond picked Kagome up. "I better take her to her room now." At Shou's nod, Fullmetal followed him out the door. He walked down the hall to the dark-haired girl's room, occasionally stealing small glances at her. Ed noticed that her features had turned back to normal and she did not look like that old, tired Kagome anymore. She looked like the Kagome he knew; all she needed was a smile. "She's much prettier when she's smiling." he said absentmindedly. A blush rose up his neck at the words that left his mouth and looked behind him to make sure no one heard him. He let out the breath as he approached Kagome's door.

Upon entering the room, Ed set the priestess in her bed and pulled the covers up over her. On his way out, the older brother noticed the picture on the bed stand next to her. Edward grinned when he saw that it was a photo of a really young Kagome hugging the legs of a man, who he presumed to be her dad, the man holding a newborn child with his other arm around a woman, who looked like an adult version of the priestess. "Expect Kagome has her dad's eyes." he set the frame back down. "Sleep tight, Kagome."

"G'night, Ed." she muttered when the blond closed the door as she rolled over on her side.

* * *

Alexander tugged on Kagome's sleeve, barking happily. The priestess grinned down at the large white dog and patted him on the head. "Okay, I get. You want to go for a walk." When the dog barked and circled around her, Kagome laughed and walked through the dining area to get Alexander's leash from the kitchen. "Huh? Edward?" she said when she spotted her friend holding a charred piece of paper. "What's that?" The priestess took the burnt sheet from the blond and her eyes widened. "This is...?"

It was Nina's drawing. The one she wanted to send to her mother.

* * *

Kagome slammed her hands down on the desk of the Central Library as her dark blue eyes narrowed at the dark-skinned librarian. "Please. I need the information about the talking chimera that my uncle, Shou Tucker made two years ago."

The librarian sighed and turned and stopped a chestnut-brown haired woman carrying a large stack of books. "Hey, Sciezka. Know anything about this?"

The woman, Sciezka, groaned under the weight if the heavy books, her green eyes holding a light of annoyance. "The Tucker reports are restricted, ma'am. You don't have access."

Edward walked up behind Kagome, his own golden orbs, flashing with agitation as he raised his pocket watch. "Could you just check on it, please? We're not some normal kids."

Sciezka set the books on the counter and pushed her glasses up higher on her nose. "Those watches got you in here. But you need clearance from the Brigadier General to read those files." she looked down at Kagome. "Even if you are a relative of the Sewing-Life Alchemist." hefting the stack pack up, the mousy looking woman leaned backwards too far and toppled over, the books falling on top of her.

"Brigadier General, huh?" the blond said as he lowered his watch.

The dark-skin woman stopped in her process of unburying Sciezka. "Surely you've heard of him."

"The Iron-Blood Alchemist." Kagome echoed. She remembered reading about him in some of her father's notes and she knew that they were not going to gain access to those files. Grabbing Ed's right hand, the priestess pulled him away from the desk. "Come on. Anything with his name attached is military secret."

"Ah! Kagome?!" the blond questioned as he was drug out of the library. A smirk crossed his face as he placed his index finger and thumb over his chin. "This is getting interesting." Commotion at the bottom of the stairs gained his attention and he saw a tall man with tanned skin with grey hair trying to force his way past a guard. What caught his interest the most was the 'X'-shaped scar on his forehead.

"I'm sorry, but you can't go in." the guard stepped in front of the man again. "This branch is for Military use only." he held his hands out. "Stop! If you access, you'll need to get a pass."

The man gritted his teeth as he shoved the guard out of his way. "I was told this was the only place to find out!"

"Stop!"

As Kagome walked down the stairs, she swung out her hand and caught the man by the arm, stopping his movements. She placed a bright smile on her face that made her dark blue eyes sparkle. "Mister. Please listen to the guard. If you want access you'll have to pass the test like everyone else."

Scar jerked his arm out the girl's hold and proceeded to walk up the stairs only to be stopped again. This time by Edward. "What now?" he snapped.

"You heard her. Pass the test first, then you get access." Ed tightened his hold on the man's sleeve when he tried to pull away from the older brother, ripping the pale yellow shirt sleeve clean off. Edward jumped back, his eyes widened at the black tribal like markings that were inked into the man's right arm.

The tan-skinned man snatched his ripped sleeve from the young alchemist and glared at him from behind his shades. He took off after shooting another glare, this time aimed at Kagome, and ran down the stairs. The guard gasped before chasing after Scar.

Kagome looked at Edward with confusion in her blue eyes and arched a brow when her friend merely shrugged his shoulders and shoved his hands in his pockets.

* * *

"Look, Elicia!" Maes cooed at his daughter, his face a picture of pure happiness. "Your big brother Ed and his girlfriend, Kagome are here!"

Kagome and Ed both shot the major an agitated look as red blush tinted their cheeks.

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"I'm not his girlfriend!"

Gracia walked over and scooped her child out of her husband's lap, her eyes holding a disapproving glow. "Honey, they're trying to tell you something." She wagged her finger in front of Elicia's face, making kissy faces and earning a few giggles from the baby. "Take your time. You know I don't mind holding her."

Maes pouted and slumped down on the couch, a look of defeat on his face as he watched his wife and child leave the room. He sighed, "Back to work." Lifting himself back up, Major Hughes set hazel eyes on the children. "You were asking about Tucker's chimera, right?"

Kagome nodded, her face still a little red from the man's earlier comment. "Yeah. With you being in the Investigation Department, we thought you could tell us something."

"You live with the guy." Hughes arched a brow, "Why don't you ask him?"

Edward plastered a fake smile on his face, even though his eye was still twitching in agitation. "You know. He's so busy, with the upcoming assessment and all."

Maes leaned forward, his chin perched up on his folded hands. "I don't know too much about him myself." he looked at Kagome for answers, who merely shook her head. How would she know much about an uncle she has not seen in ten years. "All I know is the chimera he fashioned got him into the alchemy program. First one ever that could speak the human language."

Kagome sat up in her seat, all evidence of her blush vanishing as she said, "You're sure it was real?"

"Definitely." Hughes nodded. "But it only spoke once. It said, "I want to die." " He sighed at the horrified gasp that left the priestess lips as she covered her mouth. Tossing his arm over the back of his chair, the major lifted his hand, "Apparently, it wouldn't eat after that, and died."

The priestess felt tears prick at her eyes as she looked over at Ed, pleading. She sighed when the blond shrugged and let her hold onto his automail arm. Kagome did not know why, but whenever she held Edward's metal hand, she instantly felt better. Clearing her throat, she said, "It was in pain. Why would Uncle Shou make such a miserable thing?"

Maes arched a brow when he saw the Sacred-Life Alchemist grab hold of the boy's hand. They just denied being in a relationship and yet here they were holding hands like it was a casual thing to do. "Who knows? But someone in the military thought it had some sort of relevance. How do you think he got that mansion?"

"And what happened to Tucker's wife?" Ed squeezed the priestess' hand as she braced herself for the words that were about to leave the major's mouth.

"What do you mean? She died before he came to Central."

Kagome let out a choked sob and buried her face in Edward's chest, her tears soaking through his black jacket. Ed looked down at the priestess with wide gold eyes before he slowly wrapped his arm around her, patting her back gently.

The phone rang and Hughes stood up, walking over to pick the black receiver up. "Yeah. Go ahead." his hazel eyes widened. "Serial kill...you sure?" his lips turned up in a snarl. "Ah, hell!"

* * *

The sagging grey clouds in the sky casted shadows over the scene below. Police and Military force alike were crowded around a closed off area. An off-white tapestry blocked off one alleyway as the body of the victim was covered with a beige cover sheet.

A little boy, no older than five pressed his hands against the unmoving body, trying to stir a response as second lieutenant Riza Hawkeye held onto his shoulders. "Mommy?" Tears fell down his cheeks.

"That makes five." Roy groaned and ran his hands through his shaggy hair before crossing arms over his chest. "Hasn't Investigations found anything yet?"

Hughes rubbed his temples and pushed his glasses up further on his nose. "Don't blame us."

The little boy fell against the body, tears streaming down his face in rivers as he called for his mother over and over. He screamed when Riza picked him up and grabbed the tarp. The beige covering came up with the child, revealing the mutilated body beneath.

Shock surged through the two young alchemists saw what the tarp was hiding. Blood was everywhere; splattered all around the body and cover the woman like a bloodbath. Edward felt himself go faint as flashbacks of that fateful night traveled through his mind, - the inhuman creature he and Alphonse conjured up - but snapped out of it when he heard a thump beside him. "Huh?" Looking down, his golden eyes widened. "Kagome!"

Kagome whimpered out two words as she curled herself into a ball. "Papa...Sango..."

* * *

The priestess gasped as she jolted up straight. "Where am I?" glancing over to her right, she saw Ed still sleeping on the bed opposite to hers. Sliding onto the floor, Kagome noticed that someone changed her into a simple white nightgown. She walked over to where her friend was and finally noticed that his long blond hair was freed from its normal braid and was left to frame his broad shoulders. A blush filled her cheeks when she saw that Edward was not wearing a shirt, but chalked it to the fact that he was sweating profusely. "Ed..." she reached out for the blond.

Edward snapped his eyes open at the sound of his name being called. "Mom!"

"Oh?" Shou's voice came from the doorway. "You're awake." he walked into the room and sat down in the chair that was closest to Ed's bed. "Sounds like you saw something pretty awful, huh?" he looked up at his niece sadly. "You, too, Kagome?"

"It's no big deal." the teens said together.

Shou placed his hand on Kagome's head when she sat down on the edge of Edward's bed. "Kagome, you were crying out for your father and some person named "Sango" the whole time you were asleep." he glanced over at the boy. "And you were crying for your mother. Both of you kept saying that you were sorry." the Sewing-Life Alchemist watched the children clench their hands in the sheets. "I don't know what my niece has done, but I've had my suspicions about you and your brother, Edward; ever since I saw your bodies." his eyes were sharp. "Now I'm sure. What you boys did, it's strictly forbidden."

Downstairs Alphonse stopped playing with Nina and turned to look out the window when a car came to a screeching halt.

"But I can understand." Shou continued, looking the boy in the eyes. "Science is a powerful thing, capable of so much. When you can, it's difficult not to try."

Al's voice brought the three of them's attention downstairs. Kagome quickly went to her room and changed out of the nightgown and into her normal outfit that consisted of a sleeveless white shirt that went down to her thighs and a light blue skirt. She wrapped her silver pocket watch around her waist and let it drape across her hips. Stepping out of her bedroom, the priestess joined her uncle and two friends' down the stairs.

"Who are you?" Alphonse demanded and he tucked Nina close to his chest. "What do you want?"

A dark-skinned, bald man with a prominent black, pointed handlebar mustache narrowed his eyes at the two young State Alchemists. "I don't know what Roy Mustang's been filling your heads with, but the research of Show Tucker falls under the jurisdiction of me..."

Kagome cut him off. "I already know your name, Brigadier General Basque Grand."

"The Brigadier General." Edward glanced up at the priestess briefly before narrowing his eyes at Grand. "So that's you."

Grand folded his arms behind his back. "The Sewing-Life Alchemist is one of my top priorities, and I know you've been snooping around. I can no longer permit you three to take shelter at his estate."

"What!" the priestess yelled. "You can't kick me out! I'm his niece!"

The Iron-Blood Alchemist smirked slightly as he signaled for his guards. "I can and I will."

Kagome glared icily at the two men who approached her. The threat of pain hidden behind those dark blue orbs caused the men to shrink back. If it was not for her little cousin tugging at her shirt, the priestess would have laughed. Two grown men scared of a thirteen-year-old girl. What a laugh.

"Where are you going, 'Gome?" the little girl asked, her big, bright blue eyes shimmering with tears. "Are you leaving?"

The priestess picked her cousin up and hugged her tightly. "Yeah. 'Gome's gotta go now. But she promises that she, Ed, and Al will come back and play with you real soon."

Nina looked over at the Elric Brothers and said, "Really?"

Alphonse nodded as he took the little girl from Kagome's arms and put her on his shoulders. "Of course." he spun around slowly, causing Nina to laugh. "Right, Brother?"

"Yeah." Ed said.

The little girl jumped from Al's shoulder and glomped the blond, tugging at his braid with a wide smile. "Don't forget."

* * *

Grand frowned as he watched the three teens walk down the road, the boy carrying his one suitcase, the one in the suit carrying two of the girl's and the young priestess toting a large yellow backpack. "Don't they just eat at you?" he clenched his hands into tight fists as he recalled the events that happened at the exam. "When that kid showed off his transmutation abilities without the use of a circle, the Kind actually opened his mouth and complimented him. And don't get me started on that niece of yours. The Sacred-Life Alchemist? How does the King know that wasn't just a hoax." gritting his teeth, Grand continued. "Now that upstart Mustang's claiming both of them and getting points for them; my points, Tucker."

Shou lowered his head as his shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry if they caused trouble for you, sir. But could you refrain from speaking ill of my niece, Kagome. She's my deceased younger brother's daughter."

The Iron-Blood Alchemist glared at his subordinate out of the corner of his eye. "Ah, that failure of an alchemist, Akio Higurashi, the Lightning Alchemist." he snorted. "He left the military to get married and run off the Japan." Grand looked down fully at the Sewing-Life Alchemist, his brown eyes cold. "I smoothed things over for you last year when you turned in a pile of trash and called it research. Fail it again, and I'll get the heat for endorsing you."

"But General...?" Shou hesitated.

"What Tucker?" Grand snapped. "Would you rather the alternative approach? You want to pass the title of Sewing-Life to that boy or that little girl, and go back to your old life?" he sneered, "Drifting the streets of some backward town with ideas and an empty stomach?" Grand walked past the other man, his shoulder knocking into his. "Your assessment's in two day. It's time to show or roll over."

Nina poked her head through the door when she saw the tall, scary man leave the house, getting into the car and pulling away. "Daddy?" She wrapped her arm around Alexander as she tugged on her father's sleeve. "Are you hurting somewhere? Did that scary man hurt you?"

Shou said nothing as he dropped to his knees, grabbing the little girl by the shoulders and looked into her bright blue eyes before hugging her tightly. "I'm at the end of the line here, Nina."

"Daddy..." Nina sighed as she wrapped her arms back around her father and embraced him back with as much strength as she could.

* * *

"You really think this is a good idea?" Alphonse questioned as he watched his brother and Kagome knock out the two guards posted in front of the gate to the Tucker estate. "You, two, could lose your certification."

Kagome turned her watery blue eyes on the metal suit that was her friend. She forced back the tears that wanting to escape. "I need to know what really happened to my aunt. Uncle Shou told Nina that she left when in actuality she died."

Edward grabbed the priestess' hand with his automail and squeezed gently. He'd long realized that Kagome always felt better when she was holding onto his artificial hand. And if it kept her from having that forlorn look on her face, Ed was willing to do that much. "And if that's what it takes to prove me wrong tonight, so be it."

Together the three teens walked down the long corridor and wondered where Shou Tucker was. It was Kagome who suggested that they check his lab and pointed the way there. She remembered from when she'd explored the mansion where it was located. Taking the next right, she led them to a door and had Alphonse open it up. They took the many stairs down into the dimly lit basement.

"What are they?" the priestess gasped as she hid behind Alphonse and tightened her hold on Edward's metal hand.

Edward narrowed his eyes. "Chimeras."

"Over here!" Shou called out, hearing the children's voices.

They walked past the dozens of chimera, avoiding their grasping claws and around the corner to find another door, which Alphonse quickly opened. Behind the double doors, they found Shou Tucker, his body hiding something in front of him.

"Come on in." the older man said and upon hearing the light footsteps that could only belong to his niece, his shoulders fell slightly. "I told you I'd let you see. It's a perfect version." he stepped back, revealing a dog-like chimera with a long mane of brown hair. "A chimera that knows the human tongue." he placed his hand on the head of the beast. "Listen, dear. That's your friend Edward. Look."

The chimera raised its glowing white eyes and looked at the three children. "Edward. Friend."

Shou smiled. "Exactly! That's very good."

"That's ve-ry go-ood."

Alphonse tilted his head to the side. "Unbelievable. It really can talk!" he turned to the priestess who was still hiding behind him, "Look, Kagome!"

"Ahh! I'll have no problem getting the funding now." An insane look entered his grey-blue eyes. "I can't believe I didn't see it. The other one was too old to adapt."

Edward walked forward, pulling Kagome with him - even as she struggled and protested. When a young thirteen-year-old girl with average strength is trying to resist a twelve-year-old with an automail arm...well it's one-sided. "Please come with me, Kagome."

The young priestess gasped at the pleading tone her friend spoke to her in and nodded her head. Slowly they made their way closer to the chimera, who looked up at them with glowing white eyes.

"Edward. My friend."

Ed kneeled down to the beast, placing his other hand on its head. When the chimera sniffed him and bent its head to pull on the silver pocket watch, he smiled sadly. "Yeah, that's right."

The chimera shifted its eyes to Kagome, who shrunk back a little. " 'Gome? Why does it hurt here?"

The priestess eyes widened considerably. Who did that thing know the nickname that her little cousin used to call her. As a matter of fact where were Nina and the dog? Something in her head clicked and Kagome raised accusing eyes to her uncle, the Sewing-Life Alchemist who was still rubbing his chin amusedly. Her hand clenched into a fist and the one that was holding onto Ed's tightened around the metal.

"Uncle Shou?"

"Yes, Kagome." the older man questioned, cocking his head to the side as he looked down at his niece.

The priestess lowered her head, so that her long bangs hid her eyes and made her look so much older that what she really was. "Remind me again when was the first time you made one of the human-speaking chimeras?"

Shou narrowed his eyes at the dark-haired girl. "That was two years ago. Why do you ask?"

Kagome ignored her uncle's question and continued, "And when did Aunt Akemi leave you?"

"Again. Two years ago?" the Sewing-Life Alchemist turned stern eyes on his niece. "Answer me, Kagome. Why are you so interested in knowing all this."

She felt Ed clench his hand up as the metal arm she held onto tightened to match her grip - nearly hurting her, but Kagome ignored the pain. "One more thing. Those letters that Nina wrote, did any of them ever reach her?"

The glare of the orange lamp hid away the expression in her uncle's eyes. "Where are you getting at?"

Edward rose to his feet, his golden eyes glaring coldly at the older alchemist. "She wants to know where Nina and Alexander have gone to."

Shou sighed, not feeling the least bit sorry for what he'd committed. "I hate prodigies like you, Ed. Kagome, you're too damn perceptive."

An enraged cry left the priestess' throat as she lunged at the person she used to call uncle. "You bastard!"

"Kagome!" Alphonse moved over to stop the dark-haired girl but was stopped by his brother.

Edward looked at Al with cold emotionless eyes. "Let her. This guy used his own wife."

"And...And this time?"

"He used Nina and Alexander!" Kagome screamed, her voice cracking with emotion. Bile rose up in her throat when Shou smirked down at her. "He transmuted them into...into that thing!" She glared at her uncle through her tears, her mouth twisted up in a scowl as her hand clenched into a tight fist. She would not hit him. No, Kagome knew she did not have the strength to. "It was an easy process when you use human beings, huh, Tucker!"

Shou stared down at his niece, a crazy gleam in his grey-blue eyes. "Why are you getting so upset, Kagome? It's the nature of scientific progress. Animal testing, experimentation, trial and error, all advancements have a price."

Kagome shut her eyes tight, trying to ward off his words. Alchemy was not supposed to be used like this. "Shut up! I refuse to let you use Nina like this! She was your daughter! You shouldn't be toying with people's lives!"

"Toying with lives?" he tilted his head as he looked over the girl at Edward. "Like your friend's arm and leg there? Or his brother's body, or them trying to bring their mother back?" Grinning when he felt the young priestess' grip on his shirt loosen, Shou continued, "Isn't that toying? You don't really think they're different from me, do you Kagome?"

The young girl removed her hand from her uncle's shirt, dropping to her knees. She did not register when Ed ran forward and punched the older man in the face; did not register Al's voice questioning why he did it; did not register the crazy laugh her uncle gave and his response. Her eyes went blank as she blocked out everything that went on around her. It was not until the chimera nudged her with its nose, whining softly. "Nina?" she croaked.

"Stop, big brother...he's hurting Daddy..." it said.

Kagome looked up and saw Edward punching her uncle repeatedly with his right arm until blood splattered out on his face. Gasping, the priestess rose to her feet and wrapped her arms around the blond and held him tightly. "Ed, stop! You'll kill him if you keep going!"

Edward paused mid-strike, his eyes wide as he gazed down at the priestess. "Kagome..." he dropped Shou and looked down at his bloody gloves before clenching his fists. Turning around, Ed wrapped his arms back around Kagome and said, "I'm sorry."

The priestess looked up at her friend, her eyes shimmering with tears. "Are you calm now?"

"Yeah." he let go of Kagome and moved over to the Nina-Alexander hybrid, placing his hand on its head. "Nina..." he smiled faintly. "Just bear with me for a little bit. This might hurt." he clapped his hands together.

Kagome dropped her hand on his shoulder. "Don't. You don't know how they were combined."

Shou laughed cruelly. "The chimera is a perfect transmutation; fused to the core. There's no way to separate them now." he sneered at the blond. "Careful. You'll do to them what you did to your mother." he cringed when the priestess finally snapped, slapping him across the face.

The young alchemist glared down at Shou, her dark blue eyes filled with hate. "Shut up!" she snapped, curling her fingers into a fist as she threw them to her sides. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Kagome pointed a finger at what used to be her little cousin, "What you did to Nina is hundreds times worse than what Edward and Alphonse did! They committed Human Transmutation just to see their mother's smile one last time, but you Tucker; you used my little cousin just to see if you could create this thing!" the tears that were locked behind her eyelids spilled down her cheeks, dripping off her chin and onto the floor. "You're a sad man, Shou Tucker." she turned on her heel and walked over to where the chimera was.

"You promised you'd come play with me, 'Gome..."

"I know." she whispered as she pulled the chimera into a hug.

Grand ran down the stairs and into the lab, his eyes narrowed at he saw that Tucker was on the floor and blood was splatter on the young boy's face. "Assaulting army personnel? What the hell's going on?"

Edward lowered his head, his long blond bangs shadowing his eyes. "Spare me, sir. He used his own daughter."

* * *

"Mr. Tucker will face a court-martial, and we'll take the chimera with us." Grand announced before turning cold brown eyes down at the three teens. "Naturally, you're to tell no one what you saw tonight."

"What?" Kagome and Edwards echoed at the same time. They looked at one another briefly before slanting their eyes at the Brigadier General. "You want to cover it up! You knew about this!" The guards grabbed the children by the waist, but Ed managed to grab Grand's uniform. "You want to make some half-beast..."

The young priestess eyes widened when she saw the bright flash of transmutation and before she could warn her friend, he was already doubled over in pain. "Ed!" Kagome snatched herself out the man's hold and went over to check on the blond. "Are you okay?"

Grand lifted up his left hand, a silver gantlet covering his knuckles before a flash of light transformed it back into his black gloves. Twisting on his heel, he tossed, "Let's go."

"Yes, sir!"

Edward wrapped his arms around his stomach as he struggled to sit up. "Dammit. I'm not gonna let them turn her in a test subject." Clapping his hands together, the Fullmetal Alchemist slammed his palms against the ground, the light for his transmutation surging up from the road and making waves. The humps tipped over the prison truck and it crashed on its side, the door bursting open. Ed's eyes widened when the dog-like chimera crawled out of the back. "Nina!"

"Nina! Baby girl, come here." Kagome pleaded.

Confused about what to do the chimera took off without warning, running away from the children. It ran and ran until it found a secluded alleyway and padded inside. Raising its glowing white eyes, the chimera walked towards the man hiding in corner, panting slightly. It lowered its head when the man reached out and placed his hand on it.

Scar's right arm flashed red a moment. "Your makeup." when sighed when his arms returned to normal and he dropped his hand. "Yes, you're made of one part human and one part beast. But I don't understand." he looked down at his tattoo. "Brother, how do I know that. You poor thing." he said softly as he placed his hand back on the chimera's head. "You're a sin against nature, and your body's in so much pain. Oh merciful God, who shapes us all. Please return these scarred souls to your unending womb." the tribal-like tattoo on Scar's arm began to glow red.

* * *

Kagome ran ahead of the Elric Brothers, searching for signs of the chimera that used to be her little cousin and dog. "Nina! Where are you?" she turned down an alleyway, thinking that she was hiding in a corner and her blood ran cold with what she saw splattered against the wall.

"You found her?" Alphonse's voice called from around the corner. He and Ed followed the priestess down the alley and came to an abrupt halt when they, too, saw what was on the stone wall.

It was the bloody remains of what used to be Nina and Alexander. Blood dripped down the stone and pooled on the ground. Her body was blown to pieces, leaving behind nothing up a few brown hairs and the bits of her internal organs clinging to the wall. The priestess took a step towards the remains, her hand stretched out. She began to scream and kick when Edward rushed forward and wrapped his arm around her waist, stopping her.

"Let me go, Edward!" she screeched, clawing at his arm only to find that it was his metal one. "I can...I can...I can save Nina!"

Ed turned emotionless eyes down the priestess. "Tell me, Kagome." he whispered softly. "Can you really bring back a human being with your alchemy?" he continued when the girl stiffened. "I saw how you struggled to bring that tree back as a sapling." The blond turned her around, grabbing her shoulders, "Do you actually think that you're ready to try something so complicated as Human Transmutation? Do you want to end up like me and Al?"

Kagome looked at Edward with large, watery blue eyes. "Edward...I...Nina..." she lowered her head as her tears broke free, streaming down her face like rivers. Lunging forward, the priestess wrapped her arms around the blond's shoulders and sobbed into his chest.

And as the clouds opened up and rain began to fall, a single teardrop fell from Edward Elric's eye and down his cheek.

* * *

The priestess looked blankly at the wall of her new room in Central. Ever since that fateful night where she found Nina's deconstructed body so cruelly splattered against the wall in an alleyway, Kagome has been in a state of depression. She would not eat; she could not sleep; and she cried every night. The young girl was absolutely miserably.

'_Why?'_ she questioned herself. _'Didn't I become a State Alchemist to become stronger? To be able to protect my loved ones.'_ she buried her face in her hands as her tears began to fall one more. _'Then why couldn't I save Nina?!'_ a sob racked through her body as she let out all her sorrows about her little cousin's death. Sure, her alchemy abilities were that similar to that of a miracle, such as giving life, but they were still developing. A knock at her door caused the young priestess to look up. "Go away."

Edward pushed the door open with his foot anyway, his hands carrying a tray of food. "Kagome..." he said softly. "You have to eat. It's been weeks since that night." Placing the tray down on the nightstand, he grabbed the priestess chin with his fingers and made her look at him. "You can't keep doing this. You're wasting away."

Kagome jerked her face out of the boy's hold, shifting her eyes back to the floor. "I couldn't save her. I couldn't save Nina..."

"Dammit, Kagome!" the blond cursed. "As much as it kills me to say this, but Mustang's right! We can't keep trying to save every living thing that dies! It's not healthy!"

"But!" the priestess protested but quieted when Ed turned those burning gold eyes on her and brief second she saw Inuyasha. Shrinking back, Kagome looked away from the younger boy.

Edward softened his eyes when he noticed the fear that flickered across his friend's face and curled his hand into a fist. "Look, Kagome. I know you've had it rough and so did I, but we have to move on." he walked over to the door, pausing to say, "Try and eat. Mustang wants to see us."

Kagome watched her friend leave her room before sliding her eyes over to the tray he'd set down. Her eyes widened and mouth watered at what was fixed for her. It was her all-time favorite ever. Oden! A smile spread over her lips. "Ed." she said. Picking up her chopsticks, Kagome began to eat.

* * *

"You wanted to see me, Lt. Colonel?" the priestess said as she poked her head in the room. She easily found the blond head of her friend already sitting in one of the chairs and made her way over to him.

Roy patiently waited for the young girl to sit down in the seat next to Edward, noting the color that was beginning to come back to her face. "Yes. You and Edward have a mission. Now that you're a real State Alchemist, you have to be ready to leave at a moment's notice. It's out life." he shifted his eyes over to the blond-haired woman. "Second Lieutenant Hawkeye."

Riza saluted the colonel as she rose to her feet. She walked the short distance over to the children and handed them a folder filled with papers. "Here are your orders and case file."

Edward took hold of the parchment and looked over at Kagome before flipping the file open. "Fullmetal Alchemist Edward Elric and Sacred-Life Alchemist Kagome Higurashi. You are hereby ordered to inspect the coalmine at Youswell."

Kagome arched a brow at Roy, her eyes holding a light of disbelief. "Is this kinda thing really a job for a State Alchemist?" To the priestess the mission seemed more like a laidback job that an inspector could easily do.

"It entails inspecting the mine resources." Riza explained the young girl, "As an alchemist, you do have knowledge of minerals, don't you?"

Roy smirked as he folded his hands together and rest his nose above them. "As it's your first mission, I decided to keep the training wheels on, but that won't mean that you can take it easy." he glanced over at Kagome. "Be happy that I was there when they ordered this mission. They almost sent you to Liore, Kagome." he sighed when they girl looked up at him with those large eyes of hers, "You want to help Ed in his quest, right?"

The priestess nodded slowly. "I told them that I would go with them."

* * *

Alphonse looked out the window of the train, his hands tapping on his lap happily. "It feels like we've got our own private car, huh?" he turned a happy tilt of the head at the two young State Alchemist as he referred the empty car they were seated in. "You can just sit and watch the world go by out..."

"Al." Edward cut him off. "Kagome and I have to do this now that the state has us on a leash, but there's no reason you should suffer, too."

Kagome yanked on his braid, her eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Will you shut up! You and Alphonse are brothers. If you don't help each other, no one will." a sneaky look appeared on her face as she said, "Although no one can help you grow, short-stuff." she jumped out of her seat to avoid being caught by the enraged blond.

"DAMMIT, KAGOME! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING A BEAN-SPROUT MIDGET!" Ed roared as he chased her around the car. Just as he cornered the priestess, the train jerked forward and caused him to crash to the ground. Kagome took this chance to hop over his head and hid behind Al, giggling all the way. Edward pushed himself off the floor, cursing about rickety trains and their sudden lurches. He dusted off his clothes and returned to his seat, shooting Kagome a glare, "You're right though."

"Look!" Alphonse pointed out the window. "I think I can see it!"

The priestess pressed hands against the window, her eyes bright as he gasped happily. "So that's Youswell!"

Ed grinned at the young girl. "Yep. The last town to the east." Grabbing her bag, Fullmetal held out his hand for her. "Come on. We got a job to do."

The three teens unboarded the train and exited the station. Edward handed the priestess her bag and she opened it and pulled her long dark hair into a high ponytail. He, then, saw how pale and smooth her graceful neck seemed to be and a blush tinted his cheeks red. Why the hell was he thinking about that kind of things? And about Kagome, no less. His friend!

Lowering his head and shoving his hands into the pockets of his red cloak, Fullmetal said, "It's supposed to be a coal-mining town, but it looks more like a ghost town to me."

Alphonse nodded. "Everyone here looks so worn down."

Ed sighed, his eyes showing his annoyance. "Looks like there's not gonna be much to do here." he grinned over at Kagome. "Let's hurry and finish so we can blow this..."

"Edward, look out!" Kagome warned just a second too late. A wood beam struck the blond in the back to the head hard, knocking him to the ground as he held his bruising skull tenderly. "Are you okay?" The priestess sighed when she saw the thin line of blood that fell between his eyes and dug through her bag. Pulling out the first-aid kit, Kagome tended to his wound.

"Sorry about that." the boy who hit Ed with the support beam said sheepishly. His warm brown eyes widened when he noticed the suitcases they were carrying. "Wait, are you guys tourists? Where are you from? Have you eaten? Where you staying?"

Fullmetal flinched when Sacred-Life dabbed at the swelling knot that formed with the alcohol swab. "Hell of a welcoming committee." he jumped when something cold dripped down his spine. "Dammit, Kagome! Warn me when you're gonna pour that stuff!"

The boy grinned and called out, "Pop! We got visitors!"

"What are you going on about?" a tall man wearing a construction hat called back.

"Over here! Big spenders!"

Kagome looked up at Alphonse, her eyes questioning. When the metal suit that was her friend shrugged his shoulders, the priestess sighed a returned to dressing the bleeding bump on Edward's head. She glanced back up when the man removed his helmet and introduced himself as Halling, stating that he'll take good care of them. The priestess rolled her eyes. From the large smile on his face, this Hallings man was going to overcharge them.

* * *

"So what do you think?" Halling questioned, a large smirk on his broad face. "I know it's not much, but since the coal mine's wages are so low; at least with this place I can keep two irons in the fire."

A pretty woman with pale brown hair tied back into a bun smiled as she wrote down their purchase. "So two rooms for one night?"

Kagome shook her head as she grabbed the boy's hands with a large grin on her face. "Nope. It's one room for three for one night!" her smile widened when the woman took a sharp intake of breath. "Don't worry. These two knuckleheads are only my best friends. They don't see me in that light." he nudged Ed with her elbow. "Besides, this little munchkin already has a girl he likes."

Edward turned red with both embarrassment and enragement as he yelled, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MUNCHKIN!"

As the blond began to chase Kagome around the inn, Alphonse placed his hands on the counter, laughing nervously. "What are your rates?"

Halling grinned as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Well they ain't cheap."

"I'm sure we can cope." Ed said before growling when Kagome slipped away from him. One of these days he will catch her and she will not like what he would do to her. No one makes fun of his height and gets away with it! He finally gave up on catching her, when the priestess hid behind Al and stuck her tongue out at him childishly. "Despite our appearance, we've got plenty of cash."

"Two hundred thousand." the older man said, holding up his index and middle fingers.

The three teens felt their jaws drop open at the price of the room. Kagome's presumption of Halling was right. That man was trying to scam them out of all their money! Rip-off! She heard Ed flabbergastedly asked why was the price so high; were they gonna put gold bars on their pillows?

'_Idiot. Why would they charge that much if they're gonna give us gold?'_ The priestess rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to the older man.

"It's a fair price, seeing how ours is the finest inn in all of Youswell." Halling grinned, placing his hands on his hips.

His son slid in front, a wide grin plastered on his face as he said, "Not to mention that it's the only one."

Halling leaned forward, his lips pulling back until they were taunt against his face. "We ain't had any guests in some time. So we've gotta milk you folks for all you're worth."

Kagome felt a drop of sweat roll down her cheek from her hairline and yanked her two friends over in the corner, pulling her wallet out of her pocket and counting money inside. She barely had fifty hundred yen. Glancing up at the brothers, the priestess saw the dejected look on their faces and knew that they did not have enough money either. Sighing, Kagome clapped her hands. "Guess we have to go to plan B!"

Edward grimaced as he clapped his hands and pressed them on the table near the broken pickaxe. A sheepish grin broke out on his face at the compliments he got and he flashed Kagome a smile. "What else needs fixing?"

Halling's wife approached the young prodigy, a broken pink vase clutched close to her chest. "Well, if it's not too much trouble, this is special to me, but it's broken."

"You still got that old thing?"

"Well, if you bought us some nice things once in awhile."

Kagome held out hands for the broken pink vase, a smile on her face. "I'll take care of this one." She drew her transmutation circle and placed the urn down upon it. Her grin widened when the soft pink glow of her alchemy sprung to like and danced over the container, encasing it. When the light faded away, a perfectly fixed vase was revealed.

The woman gasped before bowing. "Thank you so much.

Halling slapped the two State Alchemists on the back, a wide grin plastered on his face. "Who would've thought that out first tourist in age would be a couple of real live alchemists." he pointed his thumb at himself, "I took a crack at alchemy myself once, but never went anywhere with it."

His son walked up at Kagome with a small blush on his face. "So what brings you to Youswell?" he peeked up at her, his blush deepening. "There's not much here for someone like you."

Ed grinned. "It's business. In fact I've come here to inspect the coalmine."

There was an immediate silence when those words left Edward's lips. Everyone's happy expressions turned cold and intimidating. Seeing this, Kagome took a step back and grabbed the person closest to her, Alphonse, by the hand.

The innkeeper narrowed his cold brown eyes at the blond. "Inspect." his voice was no longer that happy carefree tone, but an emotionless growl, "Then you're part of the military?"

"Well yeah." Fullmetal said, looking confused. "I'm a State Alchemist. Cool huh?" His eyes widened when the men suddenly surrounded him, picking him up by the air and all, but kicked him out the door and tossed his suitcase out with him. "Hey!" he barked. "What was that for?"

Halling glared down at Ed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "We have no food or beds to offer any dogs of the military!" he turned his piercing eyes to the priestess and Al. "You one of them, too?"

Kagome hid closer to Alphonse. "Ah..."

"They've got nothing to do with it!" Edward claimed, defending his brother and friend. He was not going to let Kagome sleep out in the cold. "I just met them on the train on the way here!"

"Fine then." the older man said icily. "You can sleep on the streets like the rest of the dogs." With those words spat out coldly, Halling turned around and pulled the door shut with a loud slam.

* * *

I'm loving how my fic is turning out! Many thanks to everyone who reviewed and too all my silent readers: Let yourself be known! I really want to know what you think of my story. Although flames are not appreciated! Constructed criticism? Yes. But a flat out, your story sucks? Not at all!

~Kirei Ai Tenshi


	3. Chapter 3

Another update coming your way! I'm really that you guys like my fic. Oh and also if any of my usual readers of my other fics are reading this, you may have noticed that I'm using all American terms for the first time. I wanted to try something new and I like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or Inuyasha...but my German Shepherd Dog will have her puppies soon! So they're mine till they get old enough to leave me!

Pairings: Kagome/Edward and Winry/Alphonse

Rating: T (subject to change as characters get older)

Summary: Upon witnessing both Inuyasha's betrayal and her best friend's death, a broken Kagome returns home. Now, she's determined to become stronger. Strong enough to protect her loved ones. But finding love was the last thing on her mind.

* * *

The Sacred Alchemist

* * *

Kagome swirled her glass of apple cider around before taking a small sip, sighing at the spicy, yet sweet flavor. Looking to her left, she saw Kyle, Halling's son, clench his glass tightly in his hands and she was almost afraid that he would break the cup. Placing her hand on his shoulder, the priestess said, "Kyle, grip your glass any harder and you'll break it."

A crimson color dusted over the boy's cheeks before he loosen his hold. "Sorry. It just makes me so mad that the army sent another soldier over here! The greedy sucker Yoki, who's in charge of this place, is the worst of them all."

"Yoki?" Kagome echoed. _'He has a really weird name. Doesn't it mean Quack Doctor?'_ after thinking about it for a few seconds, she lowered her head at her stupidity. _'Stupid Kagome! That Yabu Kira.'_

Halling set a plate down in front of Kagome and Alphonse, his eyes cold. "And he's got that sneaky little State Alchemist to do all his dirty work." he grunted and folded his arms over his chest. ""Alchemist be thou for the people," that's their crock of a slogan. But the only people they care about is their own damned selves."

"But sir..." Al tried.

The older man cut Alphonse off with a glared. "They're self-righteous thugs who sell their souls to the state."

Kagome slammed her hands on the table, causing the glasses to rattle, as she rose to her feet. Her dark blue eyes were narrowed into a harsh look as she stared at Halling. Walking over to the man, the priestess pointed her finger and poked him in the chest. "Never say something like that again." she hissed. "You don't know the meaning of selling one's soul for anything. Don't you ever talk bad about Edward!" Twisting on her heel, the priestess grabbed her plate and headed for the door, pulling it open and slamming it close behind her.

Alphonse laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. "Please forgive, Kagome. She's had a hard past." he rose to his feet, bowed, took his own plate, and followed the priestess outside.

* * *

Edward stared up at the crescent moon with hunger in his eyes as his stomach growled. "Moon, old pal." he sighed, wrapping his arm around his tummy. "I'm so hungry. I wish you were cheese." Shoving his hands in his pockets, Ed pulled out a little oil canister and smiled faintly. Kagome had gotten him the little trinket at one of the stops to Youswell while joking that if he did not take care of his automail, it'll rust away. Dropping a few drops of oil in the crevices in his wrist, Ed said, "If only she would have gotten me something for my human side instead of my metal one."

"Will this help then?" Kagome's voice sounded from behind the young alchemist.

Fullmetal turned around and found the priestess carrying a plate of food with a small smile on her face. A grin broke out on his lips when Kagome set the tray down in front of him and gave him a cup of apple cider. "Thanks, Kagome. You didn't have to give up your food for me."

The priestess shrugged her shoulders and sat down next to Ed, gazing up at the moon. "It's fine. I'm not hungry anyway."

"Kagome..." he said her name slowly. "You need to eat. You're still not yourself since Nina's death." Ed picked up the sandwich and broke it in half, handing it to Kagome. Looking down at the single glass of cider, a blush tinted his cheeks. "There's only one cup." Rubbing the back of his head, Edward's eyes shifted from the glass to the priestess repeatedly.

"That's okay, Brother." Alphonse said, scaring the older Elric. "Kagome can have mine." he handed the priestess and sent a teasing look at his brother. "Besides, it wasn't like you was going to suggest you share, were you?" Al laughed when his brother turned an interesting shade of red and viciously bit into his sandwich. The younger Elric noticed how close Ed and Kagome have become and could only deduce that they were crushing on each other. And after the priestess angry retort to Halling was a sure answer.

Kagome took a bite of her own meal. "They really hate the military here."

Edward glanced over at the young girl, his eyes widening at how the moonlight made her rich dark hair shine a pretty shade of midnight black and her dark blue eyes sparkle. _'Dammit! Why am I thinking these kinds of things! Kagome's my friend!'_ Grabbing his cup, Fullmetal gulped down half of the cinnamon spiced drink and his eyes began to water from the burn in his throat. "Yeah..." he coughed silently, "We should watch out for that from now on."

Al looked down at his brother and friend, tilting his head slightly. "Maybe I have ignored Lt. Colonel Mustang's order and enlisted and became a State Alchemist alongside you two."

The priestess flashed the younger boy a smile. "That's okay, Al." She wrapped her arm around Ed's neck and pulled him down to her, messing up his hair. "Having this knucklehead as a partner is more than enough. Having another lightning rod won't make this any easier."

"But, Kagome..."

Ed jerked his head from under the priestess' arm and smoothed his hair back down, shooting her glare. "Kagome's right, Al."

"Step aside!" a woman with chin length black hair and piercing violet eyes said as a group of military walked into the inn.

A man with a little black topknot and a thin pointy mustache covered his nose with a handkerchief "Your inn is a charmingly filthy as ever, Halling." he sneered, his beady eyes narrowed in disgust.

Halling glared at the man. "Lieutenant Yoki, you know you should cover up your face more often." he said snidely. "It's a good look for you."

Yoki growled low in his chest as he placed one arm behind his back. "Enough small talk. The taxes on this place are long past due." he lifted his eyes to the many participants of the building. "And it's not just you, Halling. I could say the same for the whole town."

"Our wages are too low to afford tax, sir." the brunette said curtly.

The black-haired woman sneered, smirking, "You're paid so little because that's what you men are worth."

"What?" a man shouted, balling his fists up as he glared down at the woman. "You know you can't just lower our wage! And then turn around and raise our taxes and expect us to..."

Her violet eyes narrowed sharply, her face remaining neutral and calm. "The State has given Lieutenant Yoki unilateral authority over this mine."

"Shut up!" the man snapped, his teeth bared in a snarl. "He only got to where he is by taking the money we sweat and bled for and using is to bribe the higher-ups!"

Yoki let out a mocking sound as his beady black eyes crinkled at the corners and he smiled crookedly. "If you've got this all figured out then perhaps you should try bribing me." his voice turned snide, "But don't blame me 'cause you have to grease the wheels. It's the way of the world."

"Yeah, and sometimes the way of the world is the little man gets beat!" a pale blond-haired man charged at Yoki, his fists bared.

The black-haired woman sighed as she slid in front of the lieutenant and brought her hands to her chest, cupping them around her necklace. The charm flashed with light that could only be a transmutation as the air began to condense into a liquid-like state and it turned a bright red before it shot out at the man, who crashed into the table behind him.

Yoki placed hands on the woman's shoulders, a relieve smile on his face. "Nicely done, Lyra." he removed his hands and looked back up at the crowd, a frown on his face. "It seems the rumors of this establishment becoming a hangout for rebels, toughs, and thugs are true." he stepped forward when Lyra moved away from him. "I may have no choice but to suspend you operating license."

Halling jumped out of his chair. "What?"

Kyle grit his teeth. "No! You can't!" he threw a wet, dirty rag in Yoki's face, smirking at the sound in made from the contact.

"You brat!" a guard growled as he ran over and smacked the boy across the face, sending him flying to the floor. He unsheathed his sword and pointing it at him as he waited for the lieutenant's order. A cold smirk spread over his lips when Yoki said to make the child an example. He swung his blade down.

"Please no!" Halling begged, his eyes wide with terror for his son.

The guard was stopped by a flash of pink light and was blinded by it. When he open his eyes, the guard was shocked to see that the kid was behind a pink translucent bubble, a young, dark-haired girl glaring at him from behind it and a blond-haired boy fending off his sword with just his arm. The gleaming silver blade cracked and the sharp point slid down to the floor.

Yoki snarled, "Who the hell are you two?"

"That should be my question." Kagome growled as her barrier dissipated. "Who are you to order such an attack on an unarmed child." she rose to her feet and slid into her spot next to Edward, her hands on her hips and a cold look in her eyes. "When we heard the lieutenant would be dropping in, we thought we'd come by and say hello." Twisting her left hip up, the priestess showed off her gleaming pocket watch.

Ed nodded and removed his from his pocket, flashing Yoki a grin. "Hello, Lieutenant."

The black-haired man reared his head back and a light of fear entered his eyes. "Is that what I?"

"Who does these kids think they are, sir?"

"You moron!" Yoki snapped, his eyes narrowed in agitation. "Those watches makes them State Alchemists, which means they report directly to King Bradley!" Placing a fake smile on, the lieutenant tried to charm the two teens. "How terribly rude of my subordinate." he said, folding his hands together. "Please forgive his idiocy. I'm Lieutenant Yoki, the man in charge here." he held his hand out to Kagome, quickly bringing back due to the cold glare she gave him. Laughing nervously, he continued, "So, what business you might have in our humble little burg."

Edward glanced over at the priestess, seeing the tension in her face and the sharp, piercing gaze in her eyes. Reaching out, he squeezed her hand. "We're here just here to conduct an inspection." he looked over his shoulder and saw the reproachful look in the townspeople's eyes now that they knew Kagome was a State Alchemist too. She was no longer going to be welcomed there.

Yoki clapped his hands as his smile widened. "An inspection? Marvelous! But you must come and stay at my mansion!" he placed his hands on their backs, guiding them to the door and frowned when the girl brushed past him. "I...uhm...hope you haven't had to mingle with these unwashed masses for too long."

Halling gritted his teeth as he watched to two young State Alchemist walk out the door, following behind Yoki. Looking down at his son, the older man saw the saddened gaze in Kyle's eyes as they followed the priestess out the door. "Loathsome dogs." Placing his hand on Kyle's shoulder, Halling said, "Forget about her, son. She's no good."

Kyle nodded, "But she saved me, Pop...I don't think I can forget her." he hesitated for a moment. "Or that guy. Before that bubble covered me and her, that Shorty covered us."

* * *

Back at Central Lt. Colonel Mustang stood to attention with Second Lt. Hawkeye as Major General Hakuro entered the small office. A pleasant smile was on the officer's face as he gestured for the Lt. Colonel to be at ease. "Congratulations, Mustang." he praised. "I hear you're going to be a full colonel soon." he shifted his pale brown eyes to Riza. "And Hawkeye, you'll be bumped up to First Lieutenant."

Riza stood up a little straighter and said, "Thank you General Hakuro, sir."

Hakuro folded his arms behind his back and took a few steps to the right, "Once the promotions go through, I'd like you to supervise the Eastern Command Center for a while. I think you'd do well there."

Roy smirked slightly as his voice took on a small tease, "You're demoting me already? I can see having someone like me around Central..."

"What are you talking about the Major General cut Mustang off. "This isn't a demotion, it's a transfer, Colonel Mustang. But watch your back there because I hear the people in the Eastern Division are less than upstanding."

* * *

Kagome narrowed her eyes at Yoki as he continuously tried to get on her good side. He had Lyra dressed up in a maid's outfit and she served them their dinner, which consisted of a small bit of meat, pork maybe, a scoop of mashed potatoes, and some asparagus. She watched as Yoki gave up on trying to woo her and switched to Edward, who was surprisingly quiet.

"It's such a great honor for me to be hosting a genuine State Alchemist, such as yourselves, in my home. And since we are so blessed to have such skilled scientists in our mists..." he looked up at Kyra with a smile. "You should have them take a look at your alchemic attempts, Lyra."

Lyra smiled down at Edward, her fingers touching the pendant hiding inside her shirt. "Yes."

Ed gave the older woman a bored look, glancing over at Kagome and saw that she was staring intently at Yoki, cursing that he was too far from her to calm her down. When the priestess was angry, she sure could be scary. He sent a mental prayer for Yoki if he should invoke her rage. "Nah, I already saw. She liquefied the air around her, reduced its volume and then vaporized it, producing a shockwave." he closed his eyes and sat back further in his chair, "The light came from the heat generated by the forced compression, needed to maintain entropy."

The priestess almost laughed at the dumbfounded looks Yoki gave her friend as he questioned about how he deduced the theory behind Lyra's alchemy. It was actually quite simple to figure about once she saw it once, so a prodigy like Edward would have no problems seeing through her little trick.

"Actually," the black-haired woman said, leaning down towards Ed, "my ultimate goal is to become a State Alchemist, to be just like you, Mister Elric."

Ed glanced up at the woman, "To be like me?"

Lyra smirked. "Yes. I wish nothing more than to do all that I can do for the State."

For some reason, Kagome found herself not liking Lyra the more that woman spoke to Edward in that slight flirtatious tone. And why did she have to lean in so close to him like that? _'Wait a second? What am I saying? Edward's my friend! It's not like I like him or anything. I've only known the guy for almost three months!' _ She shook her head to rid herself of those...jealous thoughts? _'No! Not jealous! Concerned thoughts about my friend! Ed has someone that he likes! That 'Winry' girl!'_

Yoki smiled down at the priestess, but shrunk back at the glare she shot him. "Uhm..and now, bon appetite. You'll need strength for the work ahead. I do hope that our provincial cuisine suits your refined tastes."

"You eat pretty well." Kagome finally spoke, her voice cold. "Considering the economic conditions of this town."

The lieutenant's face lit up when the girl finally talked to him although her voice was still detached. "Times are tough for all of us! I tell you, I've had plenty of trouble collecting taxes." he sighed and shrugged his shoulders in an overly exaggerated manner before folding his hands together in front of him. "And those miners can be so brutishly obstinate sometimes, as you saw."

Kagome narrowed her eyes, "And by obstinate, you mean asserting their rights and refusing to pay more than they earn?"

"See, you get it!" Yoki beamed down at the priestess, "I knew you were of great understanding. It just took some time."

Edward lifted his fork to his lips and bit down on the piece of meat. "To understand the world, we only have to follow one basic principle; Equivalent Exchange, the founding law of alchemy." He turned his eyes on the lieutenant, narrowing them when Yoki lingered his gaze on Kagome. This man was only after power, and Ed deduced that he wanted to use Kagome's priestess abilities for his own personal gain. "Lieutenant Yoki," he stated, getting the man's attention, "you can't get without giving. Right?"

Yoki clapped his hands together. "Absolutely. Eloquently put!" he turned his beady, black eyes to the young boy. "I, myself, have long conducted business under similar guiding principle. In the spirit of which," he snapped his fingers, "Lyra? Please accept this small token of my appreciation."

Lyra placed a small bag of coins in front of Kagome before moving over to Ed. She held the bag just out of his reach, making him stretch out his arm, before she placed it in his palm. A small smile slithered onto her lips as she let her fingertips drag across his hand.

Ed and Kagome could only think of one thing to say about Lyra. _'Desperate for brownie points.'_

"This supposed to be some kind of a bribe, Yoki?" the priestess asked, her eyes narrowed at Lyra, daring her to make any more movements towards Edward. Why was she acting like this? Ed was just her friend. "Because if it is..."

Yoki gasped. "Bribe is such an ugly word. Why don't we just call it "Equivalent Exchange?" Now then, there is the matter of your inspection."

Edward glanced over at Kagome, wincing when he saw that her glare was no longer on Yoki, but Lyra. He wondered why she was; sure the older woman was very forward with him, but he was not even the slightest bit interested in Lyra. He's twelve for pete's sake. That woman has to be at least twenty-years-old! Bumping the table with his knee, he gained Kagome's attention and sent her a questioning look.

Kagome looked over at Ed and saw the question in his eyes and a blush tinted her cheeks. "Nothing." she mouth and turned back to Yoki, her voice was cold and detached, "I get your drift."

"I knew you would." the lieutenant reached out and patted the priestess' hand, his fingers lingering on her gloved hand. "You truly are of great understanding, Miss Higurashi!" he smirked as he slowly drew his hands back to him and folded them beneath his chin. "Oh, and I have a feeling the town's people will start behaving themselves very shortly."

* * *

Kagome sat up in her bed and looked over to her right at Edward. "Hey, Ed?" she called, trying to gain the younger boy's attention. She continued once he shifted his eyes from the ceiling to her, "I wonder how Alphonse is holding up. This is the first time, I've known you to be separated."

Edward turned his head to look at his friend, a slightly smile on his face. "You don't need to worry about Al. He can take care of himself."

The priestess nodded. Swinging her legs up onto the mattress of the bed, Kagome buried her head into the pillow and closed her eyes. A loud explosion echoed from outside, alerting the two teens as they raced to the window. Smoke wafted up in the air in the distance and Kagome's eyes widened when she saw just where the black clouds were coming from.

"That's the inn!" she said, looking over at Ed with shock in her eyes. "Edward! Al's in trouble!" Grabbing her jacket off the hook on the wall, the priestess rushed out of the room, ignoring the younger boy's cries for her to wait.

Ed cursed as he quickly yanked on his red cloak and followed Kagome out the mansion. Once he caught up with the priestess, he grabbed her hand and together they ran to where the inn was. The scene the two young alchemists arrived to was of two men holding back Halling who was calling out for his son. The inn was in shambles, the entire entrance was blown apart and was crumbling. It was only a matter of time before it collapsed.

"Kyle! Kyle!" Halling screamed, struggling against the men that held him back. "Let go! My son's still in there!"

"You can't boss!" one of the men said, his voice strained as he held the taller man back. "It's too dangerous now! We'll lose you both!"

Halling ripped one of his arms free. "I don't care! Let me go!"

The second those words left the innkeeper's mouth, the ceiling of the inn collapsed in on itself, crashing to the ground and burying everything inside. Halling's deep brown eyes widened as he shook himself free and raced over to the rubble that was his inn. Digging through the broken boards of wood, he constantly called out for his son, searching desperately for him. Tears began to sting at the corners of his eyes and the wood bit into his palms and made them bleed.

"Kyle!"

"Dad!" Kyle's voice called out and Alphonse emerged from under the rubble, the young boy tucked safely against his metal body. "I'm here."

Kagome let go of Edward's hand and walked over to Alphonse, placing her hand on his. Her eyes found the innkeeper's wife clutching the broken pink vase, which the priestess had fixed not too long ago, before shifting them over to the pile of shattered boards that used to be the inn. "Is this Yoki's doing?" she echoed, "Is this what he meant by the town's people will start behaving?"

"Kagome..." Ed whispered, seeing the rage that was filling her dark blue eyes with every second. He knew that as of right now, there was nothing anyone could do to calm her down. Kagome was very, very, very angry. The only thing that would satisfy her ire was seeing Yoki brought down to his knees and forced to pay for his actions. A tug at his cloak brought his attention to Kyle.

"You're some kind of super alchemist, right?" his eyes were wide with hope as his voice cracked with emotion. "So can't you just make some gold? For my dad? You could save the whole town!"

Edward looked at the boy for a few seconds before closing his eyes and turned his head. "I can't."

Kyle took a step back, his hands curling into fists. "Why not?! It won't cost you nothing!"

Kagome turned her burning dark eyes on the young boy, her voice cold. "You're wrong." she stated, her eyes boring into Kyle's wide brown ones. "The whole world is equivalent exchange. If Edward gave you gold, then he'd have to pay the price. There is no reason for him to do that."

"So we have to bride you now too!" he roared, turning his frustrations on the girl he had a small crush on. "And you call yourself Alchemists!"

The priestess lowered her head, her long bangs casting shadows over her face and making her look so much older than what she really was. Her voice was soft and mocking as she recited the motto that was forever branded in her brain, "Alchemist, be thou for the people," what a load of bull that is, huh?" She looked up at Kyle, her eyes glazed with sadness and lost hope. "Transmuting gold is a serious offense, Kyle. If Ed were to get caught, they'll not only strip him of his State Alchemist certification, something he cannot afford to lose, they'll also throw him in jail."

Tear stung at the boy's eyes. "Then do it so you don't get caught!" he grabbed the collar of the Fullmetal Alchemist's cloak and shook him, his teeth gritted.

Edward sighed as he looked back at Kyle and removed his hands from his clothing. "Even if I could, it'd just be taken away in taxes. If it's that awful here, why don't you all just saddle up and move to another village."

"Kid..." Halling wrapped his arm around his wife's waist, "This may not make any sense to you, but this place; well it's both our home and our coffin.

"Home and coffin. That's got a nice ring." Ed commented as he turned around and began to walk away.

Kagome, who grabbed Alphonse's hand, quickly followed after him. She had to take two steps for every one of his before she finally caught up to him. Reaching out with her left hand, the priestess took hold of Ed's automail. "What are you doing?"

Ed glanced over at the priestess. "We burned our home to the ground, on purpose. Me and Al, we've got nowhere to go back to and that's fine because we chose it." A smile tilted at his lips as he squeezed Kagome's hand gently. "But, I don't know, maybe Equivalent Exchange goes further than we thought. Kagome, Al, what you're about to see stays just between us."

"Brother?" Al said questioning as he watched his brother let go of the priestess' hand and jump up on a mine cart filled with coal. The tinkling sound of coins behind dropped reached his and Kagome's ears before they saw Ed clasp his hands together, the bright flash of transmutation lighting up the sky.

* * *

"You want to buy the Youswell coal mine?" Yoki asked, flabbergasted at the young alchemist's proposal. He was shocked when Edward suddenly approached him, saying that he had an important offer to negotiate. But to buy that dried mine?

Ed flashed the lieutenant a large grin. "That's right. And while you're here, I'd like you to throw in everything from the trade routes to the town itself. Okay?"

Yoki rubbed his hands together as he smiled uneasily. "Well, I'm afraid, even for a State Alchemist like yourself, the mine just isn't for sale."

"Oh," the older Elric sighed, looking over his shoulder at Kagome, who nodded and slowly opened the door behind them, "that's too bad. And here we lugged all this in for nothing."

Kagome snickered softly when she saw Yoki's jaw drop at what he saw. Inside the room were hundreds of gold bars, all glittering in the sunlight that shined from the window. "Turns out the mine's full of unexploited minerals that'd be a real booster shot for alchemic research, and we'd hate to miss out." she sighed and shrugged her shoulders as a wry smile spread over her lips. "But, since you said it's not on the market..."

"Don't be absurd!" he exclaimed, his eyes still locked on the golden bars inside the room. Clearing his voice, Yoki continued with his hands folded in front of him, "Although, the mine was entrusted to me by my State govern. Selling it for my own personal profit might appear to some observers to, uh..."

Edward nodded in agreement, his bright smile never wavering in the slightest. "Right. Don't worry, none of this gold appears on any of the books, so as long as we both keep our mouths shut; no one has to know anything about it!"

"But still..." the older man said, still a bit unsettled about the deal, although the gold behind him was calling out his name.

Kagome snapped her fingers. "I've got it! What if you write up an official deed stating you hand over all the rights to the mine to Edward, free of charge." she waved her hand over to stacks of gold, "Then you can take all of this as an unrelated gift, Lieutenant."

* * *

Kyle slammed his fist down on the barrel in front of him, his teeth bared as he hissed, "Why? Why can't I fight?!"

Halling looked away from his child. "Because I can't..." he choked on his words before he forced them out, "I can't risk losing you again, son."

"But they smashed our inn!" the boy argued, his eyes narrowed with hate. "We have to make them pay for that!"

"It's just a building Kyle, nothing that's worth dying for." his father shook his head sadly.

The door of the building they were hiding out in opened and the morning sunlight filtered in from behind the three young alchemists, a bright smile on Ed' face as his arm was raised into the air. The corners of his eyes crinkled slightly as he chirped, "Hi! So, let's see if we can turn those frowns upside down."

Kyle snarled, "You leech. What do you want now?" He stood to his feet and took an intimidating step towards Edward.

Kagome walked over to the young boy and flicked his nose with her finger with a disapproving light in her eyes and a sly smile on her face. "Is that any way to talk to your new boss, landlord, and all-around overseer?" she grinned at the dumbfounded look that crossed Kyle's face as his cheeks turned pink.

Edward grabbed the priestess by the arm and brought her back to his side when four guys that were twice the size of her moved closer. He reached inside his cloak and pulled out a sheet of paper, shoving it in their faces with a wide grin. "As you can see, I hold in my hand the title deed to the mine, trade routes, and entire town of Youswell."

"What?" Halling questioned, his eyes wide.

The priestess flashed the older man a smile. "In other words, pretty much everything here belongs to Edward now. However, we have to be getting back to our busy life in Central." she wrapped her arm around Ed's neck and pulled him close to her chest in a headlock. "I think something as big as carrying the whole city is too much for this little guy."

"DAMMIT KAGOME! WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT AN ANT COULD CRUSH HIM!" Edward struggled to free himself from her hold, but only manage to make Kagome squeeze his neck tighter and pressed himself closer to her chest. A blush tinted his cheeks bright red when he realized his close proximity and he struggled even more. "Let me go, Kagome!" Reaching behind his head, Edward managed to unwrap Kagome's arm from around his neck. Shooting her a glare, Ed finished with, "But like she said, I'm not sure it worth carrying the whole city with me. It's so heavy."

Halling narrowed his eyes at the two State Alchemists, gritting his teeth, and said, "So, you're gonna try and sell it to us for a profit."

"You bet." Fullmetal said cheekily. "And, it ain't gonna be cheap, to use your phrase. You remember Equivalent Exchange, don't you? After all, not only is this deed written on high-grade parchment, it's got gold leaf trim on the edges. It comes in a box decorated with finely crushed jade in a nonchalant, yet, at the same time, luxurious design. Oh yeah, this is craftsmanship." his brow twitched when Kagome commented on how it's much better than his crafting, but chose to ignore her. "And the key's sterling silver! I'd say it's gotta be worth around two hundred K."

"Two hundred?" the older man asked flabbergastedly, "For the deed to Youswell?"

"That's all? Really?"

Kagome placed her finger to her chin, "Hey, now that I think about it, a room at the inn cost two hundred thousand." she clasped her hands together, her eyes large and sparkling. "We'll spend the night there and call it even!"

"That's a great idea, Kagome." Ed grinned at the older girl.

Halling smirked, his face no longer in its previous shocked look. "Equivalent exchange."

Kyle stood beside his father, his eyes soft as well as his voice. "But our inn was destroyed last night."

"Hmm. Really?" Edward hummed, his eyes shifting over his shoulder as a smile tilted at his lips, "Then what's that over there?"

The people of Youswell rushed over to the newly rebuilt Inn Restaurant. It was sparkling and freshly painted with lanterns lighting up the dark sky. They stared in awe as they commented on how the inn was repaired like magic, but it was real. Very real. Halling placed his hand on the wooden banister, his deep brown eyes wide with shock.

"So, this should over our stay here, right?" Edward asked, placing his hand on the older man's shoulder a sly smile on his lips as he handed the papers to the inn keeper

Halling nodded, returning the smile with one of his own and accepted the parchments. "Yes. Of course, Ed."

Kagome clapped her hands and smiled up at Alphonse. "Looks like we get to stay together after all, Alphonse!" she beamed when the metal suit that was her friend nodded at her and the glowing red orbs that were his eyes shined brighter with joy.

"Elric! Higurashi!" The two teens gained a sheepish look in their eyes when Yoki's voice rang out through the air. They turned around to see a teary-eyed lieutenant clutching an armful of coal to his chest. "What's the meaning of this? All of a sudden the gold bars you gave me turned to stone."

Edward scratched the top of his head as his other hand rested on his hip. "Gold bars? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't toy with me!" the black-haired man snapped. "I traded you that deed in exchange for a mountain of gold bars."

Kagome cocked her head to the side, her ponytail swishing with the movement and her dark blue eyes shining innocently. "No. I'm pretty sure you gave it to Edward free of charge." She reached for the letter that was hidden inside Ed's cloak and held it up, "At least, that's what it says in the letter."

Yoki gritted his teeth. "No! You swindled me you little-"

"That's such an ugly word." Fullmetal stated, recited the words the lieutenant told him when he bribed the young alchemist. "Why don't we call it a gift from you to me?"

"The transaction's invalid!" Lieutenant Yoki screamed, "Lyra!"

Lyra moved into position, her hands cupped around the pendant around her neck and the air around her began to liquefy, turning bright red. Seeing this, Kagome grabbed Edward's hand and yanked him away from the inn and over to a secluded area, narrowly avoiding the vaporized shockwave. Weaving her hands in an intricate manner, blue-white lightning sparked from her fingertips and she thrust her hand out to fend off the next attack. The combined forces creating vicious winds that blew all around everyone.

"Alchemist be thou for the people," that's our motto!" Kagome recited, glaring at the older woman. "If you really want to be like Edward, you'll take that to heart!"

The violet-eyes woman sneered at the priestess, her lips turned up in distaste as he hands cupped her pendant. "You are an Alchemist of the State and yet you are defying the military you serve! How can you do that!" she fired her attack faster than what Kagome thought was possible.

The priestess did not have time to set up her own counter-attack; she did not even have time to set up her barrier. Closing her eyes and crossing her hands over her face, Kagome braced herself of Lyra's attack. But it never came. Fluttered her eyelids open, the young priestess gasped to find herself wrapped up in Edward's arm, his automail held straight out with the white glove, which normally hid it from sight, ripped to shreds. "Ed?"

Edward looked down at Kagome. "You okay?" he smiled at her nod and turned a fierce glare at Lyra. "You want to know why we defy the State. It's because we never sold our souls to them."

Lyra gritted her teeth, growling low in her chest. Her finger curled around her necklace and charged up her attack, the liquefied winds swirling around her body. The air flashed bright red as it gathered more heat, creating a larger ball of energy. With a warrior cry, Lyra unleashed her attack.

Pushing the priestess behind him, Ed clapped his hands together and swept his left hand over his automail and a long gleaming blade formed over the metal and quickly ordered Kagome to put up her barrier. He raced forward and sliced the ball of heated, vaporized air, destroying it. Continuing his attack, Fullmetal charged at Lyra, his dagger aimed at her neck. Swinging upward, he caught the chain that held her necklace together and shattered it.

The black-haired woman fell to the ground, her pendant clattering next to her. Lyra narrowed her eyes at the boy before they softened and a blush spread over the bridge of her nose and she looked away from his piercing gaze.

"You cursed boy!" Yoki said, taking a few steps back. "Seize the deed from-" he cut off in his sentence as a horrified cry left his throat. His guards were surrounded by the miners.

"Sorry, sir."

Two miners slid up behind Yoki, cracking their knuckles. Their eyes widened when a translucent bubble appear around them and they glanced over at Kagome, who flashed them a bright smile. Raising up her hand, the priestess curled her fingers and held up her thumb. "Have all the fun you want with teaching him physically like he has been doing to you financially for years." Kagome winked at Yoki, her smile brightening as she saw them miner's grins turn malicious. "Never underestimate the strength of a coal mining man, Lieutenant." Cringing at the first blow, the priestess turned away from the scene, snickering.

Later on that night with Edward laughing and fending off the miner's pranks of trying to get him to take a swig of beer, Alphonse standing behind him also with a happy shine in his eyes, and Kagome teasing Kyle about the blush on his face when she gave him a hug. Edward picked up his glass of orange juice and shoved away another pitcher of booze with a wide grin and took a sip. The priestess snuck up behind the young alchemist and quickly pulled him into a headlock and messed up his hair.

"You know honey, I think our inn's even nicer than before." Halling's wife, placed her hand in the crook her husband's elbow.

Halling nodded, bringing her hand up to his lips, "Uh huh. I think so too. All thanks to Ed Elric and Kagome Higurashi, the Fullmetal and Sacred-Life Alchemists."

* * *

"Here's the report for Edward Elric and Kagome Higurashi, sir." Riza placed the letter down on the desk in front of her upper authority, saluting. "Thanks to the incident there, the State has decided to reorganize the personnel at the Eastern Command Center, who oversaw the coalmine."

Roy folded his hands together, leaning back in his seat with a small smirk. "Really? That should make our jobs a little easier when we head East." he turned his dark eyes on the newly appointed First Lieutenant. "It's almost as though Elric and Higurashi did you and I a favor by going there."

Riza narrowed her cinnamon-brown eyes at Mustang, her lips pulled down in a frown. "Don't tell me you planned this from the start, sir!"

"Come on!" He lifted his hand, examining his nails. "You think I know everything? I wonder how pretty the women out East are."

An angry blush tinted Riza's cheeks pink before she willed it away with a sigh. "As for Elric and Kagome, it seems their reputation is already spreading throughout the region. They're saying there's champions of the people among the military dogs."

* * *

Kagome closed the book she was reading after placing her bookmark inside to hold her place; she was not really paying attention to it anyway. Her mind was busy thinking about the time she met the Elric Brothers and how she and her two friends completed their first mission all those years ago. That assignment back at Youswell was nearly three years ago. The priestess has grown much stronger since then. She was older- sixteen years old- now.

Her long night-dark hair had grown to her waist, the weight of it causing it to straighten out some, but it still held its wavy texture as she tied half of it in two ponytails. Kagome no longer wore those little dresses, her school uniform, or cute, graphic tops, now she wore a black tank top that she'd stolen from the older brother with dark red ribbons winding up her arms and a deep red skirt that stopped mid thigh with black leggings that were ripped at the knees and her silver pocket watch, ever present, around her waist like a belt. Her feet were encased in red ballet flats that had small black roses on the top of them.

Stretching out her arms, Kagome found Ed with a wide grin on his face as he spoke with the cab driver.

"Edward Elric and Kagome Higurashi? Yeah I heard of them."

Ed's grin widened. "So what do you know about them?"

The cab driver smirked. "Well, the girl is said to be as kind as she is pretty. She's a real sweetheart and a friend of the common man And the boy, well what they say is that even though he's one of them State Alchemists guy, he's also a friend of the common man too."

"Wow, he must be a man of great stature then, huh?" Fullmetal leaned back against his seat, his nose up in the air with pride, but what the cab driver was about to say next would have it crashing back down.

"Actually, I hear he's surprisingly short; like a dwarf or something."

And that set off the infamous wrath of Edward Elric. His golden eyes went black and his teeth gritted, looking almost sharp, as an anger mark appeared on his forehead. Kagome quickly threw up her barrier around Alphonse and herself with a sigh just as Ed exploded, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A DWARF?!"

The cab swerved in the sand before sinking in. The cab driver hopped out of the car, running for his life with the Fullmetal Alchemist close behind him. Alphonse followed after them, pleading for his brother to stop. Kagome giggled behind her hands- it was always and forever will be entertaining to see Edward get so riled up about his height- and rolled her eyes.

"Get back here, and say that to my face!" Ed roared.

Kagome lifted her hands to her mouth and shouted. "Nice going Ed! Keep on scaring away cab drivers like that, and we'll never reach Liore!"

A few hours later, once they'd managed to calm the older Elric down and convinced the cab driver that Kagome would keep him locked behind one of her barriers, they finally reached the train station. Kagome leaned against the wall of the building close to the telephone booth as she watched Ed argue on the phone. She sighed when he finally slammed the phone down and exited the booth. "Well..." she stated. "What did Mustang say?"

"The bastard wants us to return to East City and await orders." Ed gritted his teeth.

Alphonse stood beside the priestess, his head tilted in curiosity. "For what?"

The Fullmetal Alchemist looked at the two of them in the eyes, his face placid and calm as he said, "He wants us to do paperwork."

Kagome felt her brow twitch as a twisted version of her smile spread over her lips. "Are you serious?" She huffed when Edward nodded and grabbed her two friends' hands and pulled them towards the train. "There is no way, I'm letting him make us to paperwork! We just finished up in Reole with that weird priest, Cornello." she frowned, "I had my suspicions about his 'miracles' since I first visited that town."

Alphonse allowed the smaller girl to drag him to the docking station. "Where are we going, Kagome?"

The priestess' eyes took on a sneaky gleam. "We're going to Aquroya!" she smirked as she purchased their tickets. "Besides it's right on the way. I know you don't want to see Mustang and you, two, still owe me and explanation about this Philosopher's Stone Cornello was blabbering about to you."

The two Elric Brothers bowed their head in shame. They've been keeping their knowledge of the stone from the priestess. When they learned of it, it was right after the death of Nina, Kagome's little cousin, and they did not want to burden her with even more problems. Especially since her uncle was the one who was researching the artifact.

Kagome led them to their seats and took the only open chair in front of them and crossed her legs, folding her hands together in her lap. "Now explain."

Edward glanced over at Alphonse before locking eyes with the priestess, "The Philosopher's Stone allows one to bypass all the laws of alchemy, including Equivalent Exchange. At first it seemed like a bedtime story, but Shou Tucker was doing research on it and turns out that it may be real. While you locked yourself in your room, Al and I did some research on the stone, going over Tucker's notes about it." His golden eyes bore into Kagome's dark blue orbs, "Kagome, with the Philosopher's Stone, Al and I could regain our bodies."

"With my metal body, I was incapable of feeling the pain you guys felt when you saw Nina's deconstructed body." Alphonse lifted his hands, "I want to be able to feel again, Kagome. And maybe the stone will help me get my body back."

The priestess sat there and listened to her friends' explanations, not once interrupting them. Once they remained silent for a few minutes, Kagome reached inside her shirt and pulled out the silver chain she'd kept hidden. "I don't think you should look for this stone." she said calmly as she held up the purplish-pink jewel. "It sounds like the Sacred Jewel to me and you know what I went through. And before you start, I know that you truly want to get your bodies back, but you saw what happened to Cornello when his fake stone broke. He suffered a major Rebound." Her eyes shimmered, "I don't want to lose you guys. You're my best friends. We've been through thick and thin together."

Edward reached out and grabbed Kagome's hand with his automail, knowing that even after three years that the action calmed her down. With his other hand, he curled his fingers under her chin and made her look at him. "Kagome, you knew from the very beginning that me and Al were trying to regain our bodies. I promised to Alphonse that no matter what I would get his body back. Until we find another means, we are going to pursue the Philosopher's Stone."

Kagome sighed and closed her eyes and squeezed Ed's metal hand and reached over for Alphonse's hand and brought them both to her chest below her chin. "I knew you would say that."

* * *

After spending a few days in Aquroya Edward was fed up with the 'city of water!' He'd been accused of being a thief and when he confirmed that he was not, Ed had to bail Kagome out as well! Just because Psiren used alchemy that damned detective thought that he and Kagome were connected to her. And to make things worse, he gotten food poisoning! And he had to get a shot! If it was not for Kagome keeping him calm, Fullmetal probably would not have taken the injection.

'_But she didn't have to do it in such an embarrassing way!' _ Edward bemoaned as he hid his face behind his cards. He could vividly remember just how he kept him calm.

_-Flashback-_

_Ed clutched his stomach as his lips took on a green tint. "I don't feel so good."_

_Kagome shook her head and guided him to the doctor's office and helped him sit down on the bed. She placed her hand on his forehead, checking for a temperature. "Well, you don't have a fever."_

"_Did he eat anything that was undercooked?" the doctor asked, pull out a needle. "He may have a little food poisoning."_

_Alphonse's eyes took on a sinister glow as he looked down at his older brother. "As a matter of fact, Brother did eat shrimp sushi yesterday, didn't he Kagome?" Al knew that he his brother absolutely hated needles and grabbed his cloak when Ed tried to run. "It's just a little needle. You'll be fine."_

_Edward struggled in his brother's hold, twisting and fighting with everything he had. "I feel much better! I'm cured!"_

_Kagome moved in front of the older Elric, her hands on hips. "Don't be such a baby. Take off your cloak." she sighed when he merely glared up at her and began to fight even harder. An idea popped in her head and the priestess gained a sly smile on her face. She reached out and placed her hand on the younger boy's cheek, making him look up at her. Kagome softened her dark blue eyes so that they sparkled like sapphires. "Hey, Edward." she whispered softly, her lips pulled back in a radiant smile. "Will you please get the shot?"_

_Fullmetal's face turned bright red when the priestess leaned in even closer to his ear, whispering things that made him feel all weird inside. Her warm, sweet-smelling breath fanned out over his face and her delicate eyelashes brushed against his right cheek and her soft fingers glided over his left one._

"_You're so cute, Edward." Kagome giggled as she moved back and tapped his nose with her finger. "Like a little kid who doesn't want to take a shot." Placing her hands on her lips, the priestess smirked, "Now was that so bad?"_

_-Flashback-_

Edward's cheeks turned pink as he discarded two cards and replaced them with two more. _'Dammit! Why do I keep remembering that! It's bad enough she's still teasing me about Psiren!'_ he grumbled as he watched his brother shift through his cards. "Al, just discard already."

Alphonse looked up at his brother and saw that both Ed and Kagome were patiently for him to have his turn. "Oh, sorry. I'll take two as well." his eyes took on a surprised glow as he triumphantly laid his hand down, "Full house!"

Laying his hand down, Ed smirked, "Four of a Kind." Reaching for the pile of goodies, he hissed in pain when Kagome smacked his hands. Shooting her a small glare, but the second their eyes connected, a faint crimson color dusted over his cheeks. "What was that for?"

Kagome grinned brightly as she spread out her cards for them to see. "Diamonds. Royal Flush." The priestess giggled as she finally won a round. Reaching out, she grabbed the pile of winnings. This was one of the rare times that Edward lost and Kagome was beginning suspect the younger boy was cheating. Before she could check Ed's cloak for stray cards, her stomach decided to growl loudly. Kagome blushed and wrapped her arms around the offending organ.

Alphonse laughed as he stood up. "I'll go and get some snacks off the trolley."

The priestess sighed when Al left the car, without him they could not continue their game, and looked at Edward for a source of entertainment. Yes, she was sixteen years old, yes, she was more mature, and yes, she knew that what she was about to do was childish, but it was so much fun teasing Ed; he got riled up so easily. "Hey, Ed? What did Psiren tell you before we left." she grinned when the young alchemist instantly turned red at her next sentence, "I heard that she was quite pretty under that mask. I didn't get to see her face since she knocked me out."

Back when Kagome had cornered Psiren, the thief threw some of her trick cards at her and powder was blown in priestess' face. When the dust cloud dissipated, Kagome was on the ground sleeping peacefully. By the time, she'd woken back up, Psiren was talking to Edward before she was hauled inside the back of the prison cab.

Edward waved his hands back and forth in front of him as he denied any kind of interest in the thief. "She merely gave me a lead on the Philosopher's Stone! That's why we're going to Xenotime! To see the person who's researching the components behind it!"

Kagome giggled behind her hands. "Has anyone told you how cute you are when you blush?" She just loved teasing Edward. Over the course of the years, the priestess went from teasing him about his height, which she still does, to teasing him into blushing. Kagome had admitted to a small part of herself that she enjoyed seeing Ed flushed, but she chalked it up to being closer to the younger boy that she could do it comfortably. Besides, it's only been three years since Inuyasha's betrayal and it was still fresh in her heart. Scooting closer to Edward, the priestess placed her hand on his cheek, much like she had done back in Aquroya and batted her eyes, "Cause you're so cute when you're all red in the face."

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Kagome?" Edward asked, his eyes wide before the narrowed at the priestess when she snickered at him. "Why you!" he roared, lunging at Kagome. The train took that moment to lurch in its motion, causing both teens to crash onto the floor. A tornado of cards flew out of Ed's sleeves as he fell on top of Kagome and he immediately sat up. "Sorry about that." he laughed nervously, not noticing that his left hand was much warmer than what it should have been.

The priestess fluttered her eyelid open. "You're much heavier than you-" Kagome stopped mid-sentence when she felt a pressure on her chest. Looking down, a bright red blush spread down to her neck. Edward's human hand was comfortably resting between the valley of her breasts with his automail above her shoulder, holding up most of his weight. "Uhm...Ed..." she stammered. "Could you move your hand?"

Edward looked down at Kagome and when he finally saw where his hand was placed a blush rose up to his hairline and he quickly moved the appendage. "Kagome, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to! It was an accident!"

Kagome blinked as she finally noticed the mess of cards scattered around them and she stared at Ed accusingly. "I knew it! You were cheat-!" The train jerked once more and hit a bump, tossing the teens in the air and reversing their positions. The action happened so fast that neither of them knew what was happening before it was too late. The priestess opened her eyes as a pain went up from her mouth when her teeth knocked against something and she blinked in shock.

When the train lurched forward and hit the bump that tossed them in the air, Kagome had landed on

Edward with her hand pressed firmly against his chest and her lips planted against his. Vaguely, in the very back of her mind, Kagome noticed how strong Edward was beneath her fingertips and she fought the urge to trail them down his chest. Their eyes clashed, gold meeting blue, both of their faces bright red and Kagome was the one who broke away first with a squeak.

She quickly scrambled off of Edward and back into her seat just as Alphonse came back into their car with the snacks. Kagome hid her burning face in her hands and kept stealing small glances at the older Elric as she hoped that this would not ruin their friendship.

For the next two hours the three young alchemists sat in silence, occasionally standing to stretch their legs and walk up and down the aisle of the car for exercise. Kagome kept stealing peeks over at Edward, but when their eyes met; she would look away with a blush. Why was she getting flustered over a simple accidental kiss? It was not like she liked Ed in that way?

'_Though his lips did feel good on mine...'_ Kagome blushed at her thoughts and shook her head back and forth, causing her long hair to fly up and tangle. _'Bad Kagome! Edward likes Winry! You shouldn't be thinking those kinds of thoughts about him! I refuse to be in an unrequited love again! Wait! What am I thinking? I don't love Edward!'_ Peeking up through her eyelashes, the priestess looked over at Ed to find him staring out the window with a thoughtful expression etched into his brow. Kagome began to wonder what he was thinking.

The sun made its final exit as it slid behind the horizon and twilight filled the sky, turning the clouds an orangish-pink color with streaks of midnight blue. Edward perched his head up in the palm of his automail hand and stared out the window, watching the shift from day to night, but his mind was elsewhere. His thoughts were all centered on the 'kiss' he'd shared with Kagome. Thinking about her soft her lips felt against his, even though their teeth knocked together painfully, it was still pleasant. A faint red color dusted over his cheeks. That was his first kiss and it was with his best friend, no less!

'_But her lips were so warm.'_ Ed's blush deepened as he covered his face with his hand. Why was thinking such thoughts about the priestess. He knew of her past and how bad she had been hurt. Even though she may have said that she was over the betrayal, her eyes still held that forlorn gaze in them when she talked about it. Ruffling up his hair, Edward cursed, "Dammit! What's wrong with me?"

"Brother? Are you and Kagome okay?" Alphonse asked, watching his older brother spazz out. Ever since he'd rejoined them with the treats he gotten of the trolley, Ed and Kagome have been acting very strange. His brother had moved to sit next to him instead of taking his seat next to the priestess and whenever their eyes met, they looked away with a blush tinting their cheeks. While Al could not feel anything, he still was an intelligent boy and knew more about relationships than his brother and knew that they've been crushing on each other since they first met. "You two have been acting weird."

"It's nothing!" they squeaked at the same time, blushes highlighting their faces.

Alphonse was not going to take that response. He was much smarter than what they thought him to be. His intelligence was on par with his brother's if not a bit greater. The glowing red orbs of his eyes shrunk as he stared down at the two of him. "If it's nothing then why are you blushing so hard?"

Kagome covered her face with her hands and looked away from the metal suit that was her friend. Why did he have to be so observant? Why could not Alphonse be dense like his brother when it came to embarrassing thing like this? She exhaled and gritted her teeth before looking back at Al sharply. "Look, Al, me and Ed fell and our lips crashed. I don't want to make thing uncomfortable." she glanced over at Edward, her cheeks bright pink. "Let's just pretend that it never happened, okay?"

"What the hell?" Edward cursed as he stared at the priestess. "How can I just pretend that it never happened?" It irked him that she wanted to treat his first kiss like a trivial matter. Sure it was not supposed to happen or even count as his first kiss, but dammit! It still bothered him for some reason.

"Easy. Forget about it. I don't want to ruin our friendship over something like this, Edward." Kagome said sincerely. "You're my precious friend. I don't want to lose you."

"Kagome..." Fullmetal echoed her name softly.

A smirk slithered onto her lips as a devilish light entered her eyes. "Besides, I could never take a kiss from a guy shorter than me serious!"

And with that the infamous anger of Edward Elric was set off. His eyes went dark, teeth gritted and you could practically see steam shooting out of his ears. "You old hag!" he snapped back, "Why would I take a kiss from you seriously?!"

Kagome snapped her head back at the 'hag' comment. Her dark blue eyes narrowed into a glare and she replied back, "You call that a kiss? You can't kiss for nothing! And you groped me you, perv!"

"You groped Kagome?! Brother, how could you?"

"I told you that was an accident!"

And the shrill whistle of the train rang throughout the car and locomotive came to a slow haut. The three teens stood up with Edward and Kagome shooting daggers at each other. Kagome was glaring at Edward because he'd hurt her feelings with the 'hag' remark and Ed glared at the priestess for the jab at his kissing skills.

'_It's not my fault! That was my first kiss!'_ he ranted. _'Wait a second? Why do I care?'_ Shoving his hands inside his pockets, he followed his brother and Kagome to the exit. When he was about to unboard the train, he and the priestess tried to squeeze through the door at the same time. Shooting a heated glare at Kagome, Ed tried to force his way out, but ended up falling backwards when she yanked on his braid.

Kagome giggled as she sailed over Fullmetal's fallen body and hid behind Alphonse when he jumped to his feet, his hands poised as if he were going to chase her around the platform. Smirking when the older brother sighed and lowered his arms, the priestess turned around and took a look at the town. "You really think that you're gonna find the Stone in a rundown town like this?" She glanced up at the sign that read _ Xenotime, the town of gold_. "Looking around, it's hard to believe that they ever produced much gold at all."

Edward smirked. "This is why they're all the more likely to be developing a Philosopher's Stone."

Alphonse tilted his metal head to the side, a questioning pitch in his voice. "What do you mean?"

"Now that their mines are no longer producing gold, they've got plenty of reasons to want to transmute it." Edward said, looking over at his two partners.

Kagome caught on quick, her eyes lighting up with understanding as she snapped her fingers. "And they could only do that with a Stone! What with this being a former gold mining town, it wouldn't look suspicious!"

Al sighed and lifted his hands as she shook his head from side to side. "Is money all that grown-ups think about?"

"Elisa!" A man's voice cried out worriedly. "Hey, get over here! Give me a hand!"

A little girl, no older than seven years old, was trapped underneath an overturned mine cart that had toppled over a stone. The heavy steel was pressing against her fragile, little body and tears streamed down her cute face from the pain in her ribs. One of the men used his shoulder to shove at the heavy cart, but it did not even budge. "Daddy?"

The man wearing a coat with grey black hair knelt down in front of the child. "It's all right. We'll get you out of this, I promise."

Kagome ran over to the scene, ignoring the surprised voices of her friends. "What happened?"

The girl's father rose to his feet, biting his lips. "My daughter, she's trapped!"

The priestess placed her hands on the steel cart, letting her powers seep inside and test the material. Once she found what she was looking for, Kagome flashed Elisa a bright smile as she reached inside her skirt pocket. "Hold still for just a moment, 'kay sweetheart?" Pulling out a pair of sleek black gloves, Kagome slid them on her hands, the white stitching of her personal transmutation circle on the back. Closing her eyes, the priestess concentrated on finding the soil that was finely grinded into the metal and grasped it.

Slowly the once gleaming silver cart turned a rust color before crumbling all together in glittering dust. Elisa watched in awe as the burnt-red clouds swirled around the older girl's body, making her eyes sparkle prettily. Raising to her feet, Elisa wrapped her arms around Kagome's waist. "Thanks so much, Miss!"

* * *

Kagome smiled up at Elisa's father as he offered her a seat at the dinner table. After saving the little girl, her dad insisted that she and her friends join them for dinner. Although, the priestess would have normally declined the offer, since it was her job as a State Alchemist to help people in need, Elisa flashed her to puppy-dog eyes and added a lip quiver for good measure. Kagome sighed. _'I'm a sucker for children.'_

"We can't thank you enough!" Elisa's father praised the priestess again, grabbing her hand and shaking it. "We sure were lucky to have a real alchemist like you show up when you did."

Elisa appeared at Edward's side, grinning up at him. "Your girlfriend is really cool and pretty!"

"I'm not his girlfriend!"

"She's not my girlfriend!"

Both of them denied the fact the little girl stated, blushing highlighting their faces as flashes of what transpired on the train played in their minds. Elisa looked over at Kagome with a curious glimmer in her light brown eyes and glanced over at the blond-haired boy. Her head tilted to the side as she peered at both of them, "Are you sure? Cause you'd look really cute together!" she smiled.

Before they could deny what Elisa said again a man with long shaggy black hair with a fringe that covered his left eye barged into the room. The little girl smiled brightly and started to rush over to the man, who she called "Uncle Belsio," but was stopped by her father. Elisa's dad snapped at Belsio only to get fussed at by his daughter, but Elisa broke off in a coughing fit.

Belsio ended up apologizing one last time before setting a basket of lemons on the table and left the house. Elisa looked up at her father with sad eyes, telling him that she's only wanted to taste his pies, which were said to be the best lemon pies ever, and she picked up on the yellow fruits. And that's when the topic shifted over to the Philosopher's Stone.

Edward shot out of his seat. "What about the Philosopher's Stone?"

Elisa's father saw the excited expression that was etched on the blond's face and he smiled widely as his eyes widened with hope. "Yes! That's it!" he snapped his fingers. "The three of you must have come to Xenotime to assist Mr. Mugear with his research and finish the Philosopher's Stone."

"Please, do everything in your power. Make it as fast as you can."

"We want Xenotime to once again be the town of gold."

"We must reclaim what's rightfully ours."

"That's right. We're counting on you, alchemists."

"Our children must not suffer any longer."

Kagome sighed, splaying out her fingers to keep herself steady as she pushed up out of her chair. Reaching over she yanked Edward to his feet by his braid, since he was too busy grinning cheekily at all the attention he was getting and the fact that they finally had a lead on the Stone. Ignoring the glare that was shot at her, the priestess said, "I suppose we'll have to put dinner on hold and pay Mugear a visit now and see if we can help out."

Elisa's father stretched out his hand, dropping it on Kagome's shoulder. "Before you go, could you tell us the names of our saviors?"

"Sure. I'm Kagome Higurashi."

"The Sacred-Life Alchemist?" the man praised. "I should have realized that it was you from the skill of your alchemy. Why at just the ripe age of thirteen, you managed to-"

Edward cleared his throat as he cut in, "And I'm Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist!" Sure Kagome's combination of her priestess and alchemy abilities got her fame and attention, but he knew that his name was just a bit more popular than hers; since he was the youngest State Alchemist ever.

"And I'm his brother, Alphonse. Alphonse Elric." the younger brother piped in, his voice a happy chirp.

Elisa's father's eyes lost their appreciative glow as his stared blankly at the two brothers plus Kagome. "The uh, Elric Brother?" he questioned, his voice odd sounding to the young teens. "State Alchemist, hero-of-the-people Elric?"

Ed smirked cockily, turning boasting eyes over at the priestess. "Yup!"

* * *

Wows! So many awesome reviews! I love you guys! I'm sorry for the long wait, I was without Internet for a bit and was dreading it all the way. But I'm back and promise that the wait for the next chapter should not be that long! And again to my silent readers: Let yourselves be known! Leave me a review! I don't want to have to set a review schedule for this story. Please tell me what you think.

~Kirei Ai Tenshi


	4. Chapter 4

I want to start off by thanking just a reader 09 for the helpful advice. I'll keep that in mind! You guys have been so grateful with the reviews that I just had to sit down and begin working on the next chapter! This is for you guys!

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or Inuyasha...but I have an Alphonse plushie! It's so cute!

Pairings: Kagome/Edward and Winry/Alphonse

Rating: T (subject to change as characters get older)

Summary: Upon witnessing both Inuyasha's betrayal and her best friend's death, a broken Kagome returns home. Now, she's determined to become stronger. Strong enough to protect her loved ones. But finding love was the last thing on her mind.

* * *

The Sacred Alchemist

* * *

Kagome wrapped her arm around Edward's neck, pulling him into a headlock, and squeezed with all her strength. "I can't believe you got us tossed out!" she griped, rubbing her knuckles against Ed's skull. "If you would have just kept your pride tamed and let me handle this, they wouldn't have called you liars!"

Fullmetal struggled in the priestess' hold, twisting and squirming until he finally had enough. Pulling her arm down just enough to be level with his mouth, Ed sunk his teeth into her flesh. He cringed at the first blow she struck him with, but grinned victoriously when she ripped her arm away with a disgusted cry. "You're not the one who got called a liar! You could've stayed!" He rolled his eyes at the glare Kagome shot him as she wiped off the glistening circle of saliva off her forearm.

The priestess threw her arms in the air. "No, I couldn't! You saw the looks they gave me when they tossed us out! They think I'm a liar too!" Taking in a deep breath, Kagome calmed her nerves and cleared her mind. She really wanted to know who was forging the two brother's name and trying to take their identity. "We may as well go and see who these 'Elrics' are." A sneaky grin snaked across her face as her eyes narrowed teasingly. "Maybe the older brother won't try to grope me."

"Dammit, Kagome!" Edward cursed, "How many times do I have to apologize for that! It was an accident." He saw the wry look on her face and instantly reddened as he figured out what she was going to say next and covered her mouth with his hand. "Don't you dare say it."

Alphonse turned around and grabbed his brother and the priestess by the arm and pulled them against the wall, narrowly avoiding the guards. "If you two don't stay quiet, they guards will hear you."

They made the two bickering teens shut up and they trailed around the wall, looking for signs of entrance and when they found none, the priestess and Alphonse looked over at Edward with expectancy in their eyes. Ed sighed and clapped his hands, the blue lighting of his transmutation casting a faint glow as a hole appeared in the wall. Together the three of them stepped inside the house, finding themselves in the basement filled with thousands of shelves with books about the Philosopher's Stone.

Edward reached out a pulled a red leather-bound book and flipped it open, his golden eyes calculating as he took in the information he was reading. Glancing over to his left, he saw that Kagome also had her head buried in a book, her eyes scanning over the words quickly.

"This is exactly where they are making the Stone." she said, replacing the book in its appropriate spot. "Isn't it, Fake Elrics?"

Edward and Alphonse turned around, following the priestess' eyes and found two boys standing in the hallway - both with blond hair and violet eyes. The taller one, presumably the oldest shoved his hands inside his pockets and narrowed his eyes at Kagome, a small smirk tilting at his lips.

"You're pretty perceptive." he said, walking down the steps.

Kagome placed her hands on her hips, her own dark eyes narrowed into a glare. "You're the ones are stealing Edward and Alphonse's identity?"

The blond's smirk never left his face as he stared the priestess down. "So those are the real Elrics?" his eyes roamed over Kagome's figure, his eyes lingering on her face before he purred, "But who are you?"

"I'm Kagome Higurashi." she twisted her left hip out, her silver pocket watch gleaming in the moonlight.

"Ahh, so you're the Sacred-Life Alchemist?" the tall blond glanced down at the younger boy as he walked down the steps. The little boy moved with him, his fingers clenched in the elder's pants' leg and his eyes fearful. The fake 'Edward' grinned when the priestess merely rolled her eyes. "Why is such a skilled young woman like you with these two? You should be with me. I really want to see if you're as smart as you are beautiful."

Edward gritted his teeth as his eyes darkened. Who does this creep think he is? Blatantly hitting on Kagome like that! He balled his hands into tight fists as he barked out, "She doesn't want anything to do with you!"

Alphonse glanced down at his brother, noticing how Ed was getting so upset at the other boy flirting with Kagome so familiarly. He briefly wondered if the young priestess noticed it too, but turned his attention back to the problem in front of him when the taller boy warned his brother to keep his voice down. "Brother..." he said warily, knowing that Ed's anger often gotten the best of him.

The fake 'Ed' continued his scrutiny of Kagome as he said, "I'll take it that the real Ed is the one in the suit?"

"Me?" Alphonse pointed to himself.

Edward growled and shouted, "No you dolt! I'm Ed, not him!" he huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why does everyone think that?!"

The fake 'Al's' eyes widened as he peered up at the older Elric. "So you're the older brother?"

"Damn right I am!" Fullmetal hissed, causing the little boy to cringe behind the tall blond's leg.

The older 'Elric' smirked, seeing how Edward seemed to get so riled up when someone mistakes him for the younger brother as he addressed Al. "How bizarre. The real younger brother wears a suit of armor to protect himself." his eyes traveled down Al, noting the great height difference between the two. "It's hard to believe that you're only fourteen."

Kagome stood her ground when the tall blond moved closer and closer to them and she moved to stand in front of Edward and Alphonse, her priestess powers thrumming over her skin. She did not like his superior attitude, or the way he was treating her friends. The young girl already disliked him for lying and stealing Edward and Alphonse's identities. Kagome really did not like guys who act like that. "It's only natural that you would know so much about them." she crossed her arms under her chest.

His violet eyes danced over the enigma that was the Sacred-Life Alchemist. Ever since he learned about her feat of bringing something back to life when she was merely thirteen, Russell Tringham began studying on what she accomplished. Reading one of the ancient books in his father's study, he found that only a priestess was capable of saving things that were near death. There was only one known person who was able to bring back someone from the death. The great priestess Midoriko. But Kagome is the only one to fuse her abilities with alchemy. "Why don't you turn around and go home and leave us to take care of things around here?" He smirked, "In fact, if you leave the Sacred-Life Alchemist behind, I may just forget about this."

The priestess growled low in her chest. Who does this guy think his is? First he treats the boys like nothing, then he tries to flirt with her, and now he wants to trade her? What the hell? "I am not a property you just trade around!" she snapped, her eyes flashing silver momentarily. She continued to glare when the young man stood directly in front of her. Although he tried to make himself look intimidating with his greater height, but the priestess has seen much bigger intimidations. _'Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Kouga, heck, even Bankotsu is more intimidating than his guy.'_ She held up her hand, "Do not make me mad. You don't want to see me when I'm angry."

'Edward' wrapped his fingers around Kagome's hand and brought it to his lips. "Maybe I do." he whispered, clashing eyes with the priestess.

The Fullmetal Alchemist snatched the dark-haired girl away from the taller blond, glaring at him with anger filled gold eyes. It ticked him off when the guy was flirting with Kagome, but seeing him touch her set him off. The priestess is not someone who they can put their hands on so care freely. "Don't touch her with your filthy hands."

Violet eyes danced with mirth. "What? Are that you'll lose her to me?" he tested. "I bet you haven't even kissed her yet."

"What's it to you!" Ed flushed with anger and embarrassment. He growled when the tall blond looked down upon him, mocking his height and that set off his wrath. Thrusting out his arm, Edward aimed his punch at the guy's face, but he easily dodged it with a smug smile.

This carried on for a few more minutes before the fake 'Ed' grabbed onto Fullmetal's hand. "An automail arm, huh? I guess the real Ed's seen some action, too."

Edward smirked. "And I'm glad that you have some skills. I'd hate for you to be damaging my name." Throwing his leg up, he kicked the imposter in the face and making him fly back to the stairs. He rotated his arm back as he threw a cheeky grin at the taller boy. The other boy quickly sprung back onto his feet and rushed at Ed, returning the hit and landed a punch on the Fullmetal's cheek.

The false 'Edward' held up his fist, tossing a strand blond hair out of his eyes. "You know, I've always wanted to find out what a bona fide State Alchemist was capable of."

"And I think you're gonna be sorry you asked!" The young alchemist clasped his palms together and pressed them against the ground, several stone tentacles sprouting from the transmutation light and flying towards the other blond, who pushed his brother back out the door and dodged to the left.

"Not bad." 'Ed's' voice echoed in the library, causing the three teens to go on guard. "You don't need a circle, huh?' he thrust his hand down into floor, a bright red light flashing as an attack similar Edward's sprung towards the three young alchemist.

Kagome pulled Edward behind her and quickly slid on her gloves, holding her hands up. The red-tinged tentacles struck her barrier and priestess concentrated on the life that was carefully concealed inside and broke it down. Her transmutation circle on the back of her gloves glowed a soft pink as it turned the tendrils into a pile of glittering ash. Letting out the breath she was holding, Kagome opened her eyes and glared at the tall blond. "You have a Philosopher's Stone, don't you? That's how you can transmute without a circle."

'Edward' grinned down at the priestess. She was becoming more and more interesting the more he was in her presence. "And how did you deduce that, Miss Kagome?"

"The red light that came from your transmutation." she crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes dark.

The tall blond took a step towards Kagome with hopes of swaying her to come and help him and his brother with their cause. Her intelligence was amazing, her powers were unbelievable. Not only could she bring this back through reincarnation with her alchemy, Kagome could take things and break down their components until they were nothing but piles of dust. He wondered what else this woman was capable of. He jumped back when Edward threw another punch his way. Hissing between his teeth, the imposter raised his arm that was holding the red stone, a crimson light flitting over his fingers.

Kagome saw the light and rushed over to Ed's side, shoving him behind her just as the light engulfed the fake's hand and a brass gantlet was shoved into her cheek. The priestess doubled over as the pain spread down her body from her face and she spat out blood. The blow dislocated her jaw and her teeth cracked. _'That really hurt.'_ she fell to her knees and gingerly touched her broken jaw, wincing at the pain.

Alphonse cried out her name worriedly as he ran over to her side. He took hold of her hand and said, "Are you okay?" His glowing red eyes narrowed when the priestess only whimpered softly as she cradled her cheek. "How dare you." His voice echoed with anger as his eyes deepened to a blood-red color. It took a lot to anger Al, and seeing the priestess hurt was one of the main things that set off his rage. No one is allowed to harm her.

"What was that commotion?" the guards' voices sounded close.

Edward cursed, scooping Kagome into his arms and threw a sharp glare at the imposter for daring the strike the priestess and ducked his head as he followed Alphonse out the hole they made.

* * *

Laying Kagome down, Ed assessed her wounds and judging from the slackness on the right side of her face, he knew that her jaw had been dislocated. There was a greenish-purple bruise spread across her cheek and a thin line of blood trailed down her lips. "Damn that bastard. It's one thing to flirt with Kagome, but to hit her like that!" He knew that would have been him laying on the ground with a broken jaw if Kagome had not pushed him behind her, and he felt guilty for letting her take that hit. He now knew that he'd have to watch out for her spontaneous actions of trying to save him, otherwise she'd be hurt again and again.

Touching her shoulder, Edward whispered her name softly as his eyes slid closed. They popped back open when the priestess reached up and grabbed his hand. Her dark blue eyes were wide open and stared into his as her skin began to glow faintly. The Elric Brothers watched was the priestess' dislocated jaw began to mend itself, the bruise shrinking and fading until only pale flesh was left behind. "Wow..." Ed breathed, his fingers outstretched. He stopped himself before his hand could come in contact with the priestess' face.

Kagome sat up and scratched her cheek sheepishly. "Sorry, I didn't tell you about this, Ed. Al." she began. "I've been practicing my healing abilities and now I can heal dislocated bones." Her eyes widened when she saw how swollen Edward's cheek gotten from when he took a punch to the face. Placing her hand on his face, Kagome said, "Let me see that."

"What are you doing?" Edward questioned, staring into her pretty blue eyes. He was finding himself wanting look into her eyes more. There was something about her depthless orbs that demanded his attention. Sure he's seen blue eyes before, Winry had blue eyes, but none were deep and dark like the rare blue diamond and glittered like sapphires.

"I'm sure I can heal other people's wounds now." she smiled, "I've only practiced on myself and now that I know I can heal minor to semi-major injuries on my own body, I'm positive I can heal you." Kagome moved his long bangs away from his swelling cheek and touched it gently with her fingertips. There was a quick glow of pink that emitted from her fingers and warmth flitted over Ed's face. "There." the priestess sighed, moving her hand away from Edward's cheek.

Fullmetal brought his fingers to his face, astonishment in his eyes. Kagome was capable of such things? Her power has advanced this much? It may have surpassed his, which was a serious blow to his ego, but still! What else was the priestess capable of? Could she learn to heal missing limbs? Broken bones? Fatal wounds? _'I'm really happy to have her as an ally. Maybe Kagome really can help me get Al back to normal.'_ Reaching out with his human hand, Ed took hold of the priestess and smile warmly at her. "Thanks."

Kagome blushed, turning her eyes down at the ground. "Don't mention it." slowly, she took her hand back and walked over to Alphonse. "You were worried about me, weren't you Al?" she placed her hand on his metal arm when he nodded. A gasp left her lips when Alphonse suddenly pulled her into a bear hug, crushing her against his chest.

"I'm so glad that you're okay, Kagome." he said, his voice an emotional pitch. "When that imposter hit you and you spat out blood, I was scared."

"Al..." the priestess sighed. "I'm okay." She grinned up at him when he set her back on her feet. Kagome looked from Alphonse to Edward and she did not like the silence or the worry what was still concealed in their faces. A sneaky smirk flitted across her lips as she decided to brighten the mood. "You know, I wonder what those brothers' real names were. Although he was a jerk, that older brother sure was cute. And he's so much taller that Ed. I wonder how much older he is than-." She broke off her sentence with a giggle as Edward began to chase her around the open field.

Fullmetal growled low in his chest as he ran after the Sacred-Life Alchemist. It made him mad when she called that fake cute, but the height jab really set him off. Although Kagome was still faster than him, his legs were just a little bit longer and his strides were wider, so Edward caught up to the priestess with ease. Wrapping his arms around her waist, Ed tackled Kagome to the ground and pinned her beneath him. "I finally caught you!" he grinned victoriously. "Now apologize! Size doesn't mean anything!"

Kagome squirmed from under the boy, kicking her legs up. "Alright! Alright! I'm sorry..." she said.

Edward nodded and hopped off the priestess, but her next words made him turn around with a snarl.

"That you're shorter than me!" the priestess faked left and ran to the right and hid behind Alphonse. "Al! Ed's being mean to me! He's trying to grope me again!"

"Brother!"

"Dammit Kagome! Stop bringing that up! It was an accident!"

"Uhm...excuse me?" a new voice called out. It was Elisa's uncle. "You kids need a place to board up? You can come with me."

* * *

Down below the city a man with grey hair stood in front of a fountain that was flowing pinkish-red water. The man was forced to wear a mask because of the toxic gas the fountain water emitted. "Are you sure you should be standing so close it?" the voice startled the grey-haired man and he twisted on his heel to find a beautiful woman with straight brown hair.

He placed his hand over his chest to still his rapidly beating heart. "I didn't expect to see you here."

The woman narrowed her violet-hued eyes. "And I didn't expect you to let those kids in." she countered as she crossed her legs.

"But there's no need to worry. My guards scared off the Elric Brothers. I think we've seen the last of them."

"Don't bet on it." the woman hissed as she reached up and tossed the beige shall off of her head. "Those boys can be frustratingly resourceful when they want, a desirable trait." She slowly slid down the stone she was sitting on, her long hair trailing down the rock like a chocolate waterfall. Her burgundy tinted lips pulled down into a frown, "Especially the girl that travels with them. Very few have witnessed her abilities, so that makes her that much of a danger." A hint of a smile touched her lips, "Maybe it's time you called it quits, Mugear."

Mugear spread his arms and approached the woman cautiously, his tone pleading. "A little more time. Please?" he implored, "That's all I need. Just give me a little more time! I promise you, I'll complete the Philosopher's Stone." he dropped to his knees.

The woman turned around, her violet-hued eyes boring down into Mugear's frightening grey orbs. "Make it fast." she licked her full lips, "You know I hate being dissatisfied."

* * *

"Thanks so much for letting us stay here." Alphonse bowed the best his bulky metal body would allow.

It took some time for Kagome to accept the fact that Belsio was not trying to scam them for anything and that he was honest about them staying with him. The priestess was so used to Miroku's antics of performing a fake exorcism for them to stay the night that it surprised her that Belsio offered to shelter them. "You're not going to ask our names."

Belsio dipped another lemon into the cool water, rising it clean of any dirt that may have accumulated on the fruit. "You're Kagome Higurashi and the Elric Brothers."

Alphonse tilted his head to the side. "And you believe us?"

"Kagome? Yeah, because no one else is capable of her feats, but about you two, not in the least." He deadpanned, not even sparing them a glance. "But I figure you kids must have your reasons for saying that you are. Makes no difference to me to each their own."

The priestess toned out the two brothers and Belsio when the subject shifted over to the Philosopher's Stone and how the town wanted to bring Xenotime back to the town of gold once again. She just could not grasp the fact why wealth seemed to drive a man to the brink of insanity. Money is the root of all evil. Kagome could not count how many times she'd been mugged or robbed of her things when she was in the Feudal Era or how times the Sacred Jewel shards were stolen from her. Kagome knew that once this Stone gave Edward and Alphonse their original bodies, she would need to destroy it. There was no way the priestess was going to let something that sounded like the Sacred Jewel roam free. _'It's bad enough I have to be guardian over this cursed jewel!' _"I don't understand why they won't just go and search for the gold in the agriculture like you lemons, Mr. Belsio."

The older man nodded. "Neither can I." he sighed, "Perhaps once they see that the Stone won't be able to help them, the townspeople will give up on that fantasy." Belsio hid a smile when he saw the young girl yawn lowly and lean against the blond's shoulder. "It's getting late and you're probably tired. I only have one free bed. The other two will have to sleep on the floor, I'm afraid."

Ed shook Kagome gently when she began to doze off on him. "That's fine. Kagome can have the bed. Can me and Al have some blankets."

Belsio nodded his head in the direction of his linen closet and smiled faintly when he saw Edward let the priestess lean against him as he guided her to the back room. "You really care about your girlfriend, don't you?"

"She's just a friend who's a girl! Not my girlfriend!" Edward whispered fiercely as a faint red color dusted over his cheek and he slammed the door shut.

Alphonse laughed nervously as he bowed. "Forgive him. He's in denial."

"I heard that Al! I am not in denial!" Ed's voice flittered across the room from behind the door.

* * *

Kagome sat up in the bed, sweat pouring down her face as the last of her nightmare still lingered in her head. She's managed to cover her mouth with her hand to stifle her scream so that she would not alert the sleeping members of the house. Flicking her eyes down at the floor, she found Edward and Alphonse sleeping soundly on their sides. Slowly, the priestess slid off the bed, retied the ribbons around her arms, and slipped her shoes on. Opening the door and peeking her head out, she snuck out of the room and outside. Kagome took a deep breath, letting the cool night air rush over her skin. Normally after she had a nightmare being outside with the nature would help ease her mind, but tonight it did not.

She closed her eyes and whimpered softly as her nightmare replayed over and over in head. Naraku. The final battle. Miroku dying protecting Sango. Naraku piercing her friend through the heart. Sango being bisected by the horrible demon. It was all too much for the sixteen-year-old and she fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry Sango!" she screamed out in the sky. "If only I was stronger back then, I could have saved you!" Kagome covered her with her hands.

"Kagome?"

The priestess looked over her shoulder and saw Edward staring at her with concern in his soft golden eyes. Tears continued to fall from her eyes. The pain in her chest unrelenting and she grabbed the golden locket. "Ed?"

Edward walked over to the priestess and pulled her into his arms. "You had a nightmare." he stated, not asked. Kagome has not had a nightmare in three years. Why were they coming back now? He pressed Kagome's face into his chest, letting her tears soak through his black shirt. His human hand awkwardly patted her back as he hushed her. "You should have woken me up."

Kagome cried harder as she wrapped her arms around Fullmetal's waist and grabbed onto his shoulders. "I couldn't save her Ed!" she sobbed. "I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't save my best friend!"

"Shh, Kagome." he tried, moving his hand to run his fingers through her hair. The act seemed so natural to him, comforting the priestess was something that he'd unknowingly come accustomed to. Whether she was scared, angry, or sad; he knew just what to do to calm her down. Edward did not like it when she was sad especially. Kagome's eyes lost their normal sparkle and that forlorn look would enter them, making her look old and tired. "It's okay now. She's in a better place now."

The priestess' cries slowed the more Ed comforted her until she only sniffled occasionally. Pulling away from the younger boy, Kagome flashed him a small smile. "Thank you, Edward." Without warning she leaned in and pressed a soft kiss on his cheek before rising to her feet and going back inside.

Edward sat there with his hand on the cheek Kagome's warm lips had touched, a shocked expression in his eyes as a blush flitted across the bridge of his nose. Emotions were stirring inside of him and they made him feel strange. His mind was replaying the incident that happened on the train when he and Kagome's lips crashed together. Bringing his fingers to his lips, the Fullmetal Alchemist said, "I think I..."

* * *

Kagome sat next to Alphonse, her head pressed against his knee. "Alphonse, your metal body feels nice." Her skin was still aflame from when she kissed Ed on the cheek. It was meant as thanks for comforting her when she needed it the most, but something inside her knew that was not the reason. Her eyes had kept wandering down to Ed's mouth and she found herself wanting to remember how they felt against hers. A blush highlighted her cheeks and she buried her face deeper into Al's leg.

Alphonse looked down at the young priestess, his glowing eyes filled with curiosity. He and his brother had woken up once they realized that she was not in the bed and Ed rushed out of the room before he could. And when Kagome had returned first with a deep red color on her face, Al began to wonder what transpired between the two and why his brother had yet to come back. "Kagome?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you like Ed?"

The priestess shot up quickly, "Eh? No! I don't! I mean, I like him as a friend!" She squeaked, pressing her hands against her burning cheeks.

"I see." Al sat back. "I have someone I like."

Kagome peered up at the metal suit that was Al with curiosity in her dark blue eyes. She tilted her head to the side, "You do? Who?"

For some unknown reason, the priestess could have sworn a red color spread over the area that would be Alphonse's cheeks as he whispered out, "Winry."

"Winry?" the priestess echoed. "Isn't that the person Edward likes?"

"No. She's like a sister to me." Ed's voice interrupted as he opened the door to their room. He walked over and sat down next to Al and rubbed the back of his head. "I thought we've been over this." His gold eyes locked onto the priestess'. "Besides, who'd like that mechanic junky?" He cringed when Kagome smacked him in the back of the head with her pillow. "Anyway, Kagome, why don't you sleep down here with me and Al?"

Kagome slowly nodded her head and slid off her shoes and removed the ribbons around her arms. She took her place between the two brothers and a giggle left her lips. "This reminds me of when we first met and we slept together on the day before the exam." She grabbed Ed's automail and laid her down on it as her pillow and tossed one of her legs over Alphonse. "Perfect. G'night, you two." Pulling the blanket up to her chin, the priestess was soon fast asleep.

* * *

"What's all the ruckus about?" the priestess groaned as she rubbed her left eye. The noise from the small kitchen that Edward and Alphonse were making from arguing with the little girl, Elisa, had woken Kagome up much sooner than what she's wanted. After sleeping comforting between the two brothers, the priestess slept for the rest of the night. Kagome stretched her arms above her head and moved to stand beside Alphonse.

Edward shoved his hands inside his pockets. "I'm gonna see what I can find out I can find in town."

The priestess had a strange look on her face as she watched the blond leave the house and her brows knitted together. "I'm going after him." she said as she followed Ed out the door. Taking two steps for every one of Edward's, Kagome caught up to him in no time and grabbed his hand in hers. She planted her feet, forcing the boy to either stop or have his arm dislocated. "What's wrong with you? Leaving without so much as a word to Al or me. You know Alphonse worried about you a lot."

"It's dumb..." he muttered, kicking a pebble across the empty lot as he took his hand back. "To worry about me. He should be angry with me. Angry at me for suggesting to bring Mom back. Angry that I put his soul into that suit." his voice held a hint of vulnerability. His little brother was his only weakness and knowing that all Alphonse did was worry about him when he should be angry at him.

Kagome said nothing as she pulled on the chain that housed her locket and clicked it open, revealing the two pictures inside. "If that is the case, then Sango is angry with me. She's angry because she died. If it weren't for me she would be alive and so would her family." Her voice cracked with emotion as she continued, "And Shippou would be angry with me for leaving him alone once more. I adopted him and yet I fled without so much as thinking to bring him with me."

Edward whispered her name softly as he stared at the pictures inside the locket. He's never once seen the photos and he saw that each one was of Kagome and someone else. The one on the right side was of the priestess with her arms around a woman with long brown hair and chocolate eyes - who he presumed to be Sango - and the one the left was of a small child with bright auburn hair nestled in Kagome's hair as he swatted away her hands from his cheeks.

"They are angry because if I hadn't come into their lives they would still be happy." She closed the small charm; Kagome shoved it back inside her shirt. "They should be, but they're not! So, stop making accusations about your brother. Alphonse cares about you. And it doesn't help that you rush into things without thinking about your safety!"

"I do not." He argued weakly. Fullmetal knew that the priestess was right, he did often go purely on instinct instead of logic; though halfway into things he did put his wits back into play as he assessed the enemy's movements. Reaching out, he placed his hand on Kagome's shoulder and smiled lightly when she looked up at him. "Thanks. I needed that." His eyes widened when he spotted someone with blond hair over Kagome's shoulder. "You!"

The priestess twisted on her heels and looked in the direction that Ed was pointing. She gritted her teeth when she saw that it was the two fake 'Elrics.' "Hold it!" she yelled when they turned around and took off. Together she as Edward chased after the two. Pushing all her strength into her legs, the priestess easily kept up with Fullmetal's slightly longer strides as they trailed to two imposters into a system of alleyways. They soon came to a fork in the road. Nodding her head at Ed, who nodded back, they each took a different path.

Kagome stood still in the path, listening for unfamiliar footsteps. She learned that Edward's footfalls were heavier because of his automail leg and of course when Alphonse ran his footsteps could easily be heard. "Over there!" she said as she took off down the alley. Running as hard as she could, the priestess could feel her muscles rejoicing at being to run again and her fingers twitched to hold a bow once more. Shaking her hands, Kagome pulled her gloves out of her pockets and slid them off. That part of her life was gone. Alchemy was now her main attack. Rounding another corner, the priestess nearly collided with someone.

Skidding to a full stop, Kagome held out her hands as she stumbled. Her eyes flew open when someone wrapped their arms around her waist to steady her and blue met violet. "You!" she forced herself out of his hold and jabbed her finger into his chest, standing straighter to glare up at the guy. "You've been nothing but trouble for Edward and Alphonse, you no good identity thief! Explain yourself right now, boy!"

"Boy?" he echoed, a hint of a laughed in his voice as his eyes gleamed mischievously. "I'm taller than you, _girl._" he mocked, his lips turned up in a cocky smirk.

The priestess huffed and narrowed her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You act like a child. Plus you hit me."

'Ed's' smirk fell as he remember how the priestess fell to her knees, holding her face tenderly, from when she took the hit that was meant for Edward. He remembered hearing the crack of her teeth and the slackness of her cheek. "I'm sorry, Kagome." his brow rose as he stared at her face, "How did you heal so fast?"

Kagome slapped her hands against her right cheek. "You should know,_ Fullmetal._" She hissed out. They glared at each other for a moment more before 'Ed' gave up with a sigh of defeat. No one could stay mad at the priestess for long. "Now tell me your real name or I'll call Edward over here."

The young man smirked cockily. "If I tell you, then you have to come and look at the work." He slid closer to the priestess and threw her a charming look. "Deal?"

The priestess smiled sweetly up at the tall, handsome blond, batting her eyes and making them sparkle innocently. She curled her fingers around his arm and pried it off and away from her. Quickly, Kagome twisted his arm behind his back and pinned him against the wall. "How about you tell me your name and I won't hurt you?"

"Smart, beautiful, and strong." He said, looking down at from the corner of his violet eyes. "The deathly trio."

Kagome twisted the appendage in her grasp a little more forcefully. "Name, please? I won't ask you again."

"First agree that you'll come and take a look at the work." The blond grunted. "I believe that only the Sacred-Life Alchemist can help our cause."

"Fine." She snapped out.

The young man grinned and easily broke out of the priestess' hold, rubbing his wrist. He swept out his arm as he dipped down in a bow, "I'm Russell Tringham." Looping his arm through hers, Russell easily pulled the priestess down the alleyway.

"Tell me what you are doing." Kagome was strictly business. She wanted to know the real reason why Russell and his little brother were stealing her friends' names. The priestess was not going to let his charming ways or his pretty violet eyes fool her. Nope.

Russell glanced down at the beauty that was the Sacred-Life Alchemist. "Why? So you can go and report it to that shrimp." He hissed when Kagome pinched his arm and he ripped it away to blow on the bruised flesh.

"I wasn't, but now I am." Sacred-Life snapped out, her eyes narrowed at him and frowned, "I need to know so that I can see if I can help." Slapping his hand away when he reached out for her again, Kagome growled, "Hands to yourself."

The blond lifted his hands in surrender and turned back around to lead the way back to the manor. He purposely took the shortcut through the woods, so that he would have an excuse to touch the priestess' hand. But he was sorely disappointed when Kagome leapt over the fallen tree limbs with ease. Russell sighed and satisfied himself with drinking in the sight of her beside him. All too soon they reached Mugear manor and he glared sharply at one of the guards, who obediently opened the gate.

Kagome whistled lowly once they entered the manor. "Nice place." She frowned when Russell grabbed her hand and led her over to the stairwell. Before she could snatch her hand back, the tall blond was already dragging her up the stairs to the laboratory. He took a mask off of the shelf next to the door and handed it to the priestess.

"Don't want you getting sick." He said smoothly, frowning when he snatched the mask and her back away from him and opened the door, slipping inside. He sighed and placed his own mask over his face began his research.

* * *

The priestess touched one of the red-tipped plants next to the window, recoiling at the pain that screamed from the green leaves. These plants were in severe pain from the toxic red water that they were being fed and were dying a very slow and extremely painful death. "You're killing them." She deadpanned, glancing over at Russell, who had his head stuck in his notebook and scribbling down some notes. She walked over and slammed her hand down, forcing him to look up at her. "Did you hear me?"

Russell rolled his eyes. "Of course I heard you." He moved her hand away from his notebook and picked up a beaker filled with red liquid. "Plants don't have feelings or emotions. Isn't that why you test on them too?"

Kagome narrowed her eyes at the blond. How did he know that she experimented on trees? Was that stupid Colonel spreading her business and research around again! She told him to stay quiet about it! Over the course of three years, the priestess has perfected her technique. Instead of bringing a tree back as a sapling, Kagome could bring the dead plant back to its original form and cured of any illnesses that it may have had. Although, the military wanted her to start experimenting animals and then human beings, she was still to wary of crossing that border. Edward warned her about Human Transmutation and she did not want to suffer the Rebound.

"Hey Kagome?" The little boy, Fletcher, spoke right next to the priestess and causing her to jump. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and apologized for surprising her. "I heard you brought a tree back from the dead at your last assessment!"

"That's pretty simple, making a plant grow with alch-"

The priestess cut Russell off with a sharp glare. "I brought back the same tree I killed." She pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear and gazed out of the window and saw that the sky was darkening. "I should be getting back. Edward's probably really worried about me." She hissed at Russell when he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back inside the room. "I told you: Hands to yourself, Tringham!"

Russell looked down at her with his bright violet eyes. "Kagome, your power might be just exactly what we need to create a Philosopher's Stone."

"And at what cost?" the priestess snapped, pulling her arm back and narrowed her eyes at the tall blond. "Alchemy is all about Equivalent Exchange and these little rocks that you're making are nothing but alchemic boosters." Kagome recalled her bout with Cornello. How he used the fake Stone to exert himself into a higher position with the people of Reole. Her heart went out to Rose; it was one thing to fake miracles, to promise someone to bring their loved one back was just cruel.

"But maybe if you used your power, they might work." Russell argued, picking up a relatively large piece of red stone and held it out towards the priestess.

"I really need to go." Kagome flickered her eyes to the window. Edward and Alphonse were going to be so worried about her. She needed to get back and soon. The priestess cursed her curiosity for dragging her into this situation, but Kagome really wanted to know why Russell and Fletcher were using her friends' names. She moved to walk over to the door only to have the other brother block her path once more. Glaring icily up at him, the priestess hissed, "Move."

Russell returned her glare with one of his own. "No."

Kagome bared her teeth in a snarl. "Move."

"No."

"Dammit Russell!" the priestess cursed, stomping her foot. "Move!"

"Such a dirty mouth." The tall blond chided. He was enjoying seeing Kagome get riled up like that. It made her eyes burn with such an intense passion. Lifting his hand, Russell grabbed the priestess' chin and held her in place. "It needs to be cleaned." Leaning in close, his lips were barely an inch away from Kagome's when a loud noise coming from the basement library. Before he realized what was happening, the priestess slipped past him.

* * *

"Oh my god!" Kagome screamed when she found Edward collapsed on the floor in the underground tunnel below the basement. She ran over to Alphonse, worry evident in her eyes, and placed her hand on Ed's forehead. The air in the cave burned her nostrils even through the gas mask she was wearing. "We need to get him out of here! Come on, Alphonse."

Al nodded and followed the priestess out the door, vaguely wondering how she got here, but his concern for his brother was just greater. Once they were safe inside the room above the underground system, Al laid Edward down and watched as Kagome almost immediately pulled him to her lap. He noticed the worried expression that was etched into her face as he ran her fingers through Ed's hair and begged him to wake up. He also noticed how the priestess' hand glowed faintly with her powers and that she seemed to be unaware of it.

Kagome patted Edward's cheek gently, trying to rouse a response from him. His breathing was labored and each one seemed to like he was struggling. "Edward, wake up. Please?" she shook him with extreme caution. Slowly his eyelids cringed shut tighter before opening to reveal the clear golden color of his irises and relief filled the priestess. Letting out a breath she did not know she was holding, Kagome pinched Ed's cheek, "You stupid idiot! How could you get trapped inside that toxic gas! Haven't I told you that you need stop making Al worry about you so much?!" she let go of his face and trailed her hands down his chest, letting her healing powers soak into his lung cavity and helped him breathe a little better.

Edward shifted his eyes away from the priestess as he grumbled out, "We were worried about you. When you didn't show up at Belsio's house, Al and I got really worried and I started to blame myself for not waiting on you."

Alphonse nodded when the priestess looked at him. After the sun had begun to set over the horizon, his brother was pacing the floor with worry and then demanded that they go and search for her. They scouted the entire town for Kagome, retracing the steps that Ed and she took when they ran after the other brothers. Soon they found the priestess' small footprints in the dirt along with someone else's. Ed blew it out of proportion when he saw that Kagome being dragged down the alley towards the manor and they promptly snuck in through the ground. Al had never seen his brother spend so much time worrying about anything like that. Not even when they were kids and Winry had gotten hurt.

'_Maybe that kiss had a bigger effect on Brother than he realized?'_ Alphonse felt his soul began a little lighter at that thought. He would not mind the fact of Edward and Kagome being together. They looked like the perfect couple seeing as they were already attracted to each other.

Fullmetal pulled the mask off of Kagome's face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Russell only wanted me to-"

Edward frowned and rolled his eyes. "So his name's is Russell."

Kagome pinched his cheek again, stretching it out way past its normal elasticity. "Will you let me finish!" She sighed and released his bruising cheek and softly ran her fingers over to red area, healing it. "As I was saying, _Tringham_ brought me here to take a look at the work they've been doing with hopes that he could use my powers to create a true Philosopher's Stone." She placed her hand over Ed's mouth, silencing him with a sharp look, "But after I communicated with the plants they were experimenting I found that the Stones they've created are nothing but fakes and are incredibly unstable."

Alphonse tilted his head to the side. "So they're like the red stone Cornello was using."

"Exactly. And we all know happened to him." the priestess said, unconsciously trailing her fingers down Ed's face. "But these stones release a toxic substance that is polluting the whole town. And being unstable as they are they require all the more energy. They were sucking the life out of the plants, not in retrospect they sucking the breath out of the people of the town."

"So that's what's making the people sick." Ed muttered as he remember how the atmosphere down hit him all of the sudden. While he thought that his was only having difficulty breathing, the poisonous gas was acting sucking the air out of his lungs.

"I'm so sorry!"

The three teens turned at the sound of the new voice and found the younger brother, Fletcher, standing in the doorway, his hands pressed against his chest and looking like he was about to cry. Kagome sighed and pushed Ed off her lap and stood, walking over to the frightened child and wrapped her arms around him. She ran her fingers through his short blond hair and whispered little things in his ear to calm him down. Kagome smiled faintly when Fletcher curled his arms around her waist and sobbed into her stomach.

Edward clapped his hands together. "Okay, this is ridiculous. This is all the reason to demolish this lab."

"I can't let you do that!" Russell's voice said from behind the priestess and she jumped back with Fletcher still wrapped up on her arms. He narrowed his violet eyes at the two Elric Brothers and his mouth dipped down into a frown. "After all the work we put into it, we've finally created a red stone!" He held up the large, unstable stone that he had tried to force Kagome into taking. "My father gave everything he had in pursuit of this breakthrough, Mister Elric. If you think I'm gonna give up now, you're quite mistaken."

Ed hopped to his feet, a cheeky smirk on his face. "So, you care that much about a lame piece of costume jewelry?" His eyes narrowed slightly when Russell growled low in his chest and grabbed a nearby lamp and transmuted it into a long, gleaming black sword. "Yeah, a fake sword from a fake stone, huh? I think I can top that!" Clapping his hands once more, he ran his left hand over his automail and his dagger shot out and ripping his glove to shreds. They clashed blades. "Mine is the genuine article." Fullmetal stated smugly as his blade shattered Russell's.

"What the-" he cut off his curse with a low growl, slamming his knee into Ed's abdomen. He hissed through his teeth, pressing his hand against the metal door behind him. He grabbed the long hose that grew out of the hole and placed his hand on the handle. "Red water straight from the tap. If you're doused with it, you're a goner. You'll lose a lot more than your consciousness."

"Fine, let it rain." The older Elric said, transmuting his dagger into an umbrella.

Russell smirked and turned to handle on the hose, a steady stream of toxic water spraying out and striking the metal covering. He gritted his teeth when he heard Kagome tell Edward that what he was doing was crazy and for him to stop. "Listen to Kagome! Just go and you can live!"

Edward growled. He did not like hearing this guy say Kagome's name so familiarly! He had no right to address her as much. "Never!" he shouted, his feet sliding back in the slippery water, "I'm not giving up to some naive kid who's desperate to be just like Daddy!"

Something inside Russell snapped and he turned the hose on full blast, wanting nothing more than to douse the Fullmetal Alchemist with the red water and end him A crazed smile spread over his lips when he saw Ed trip and lose his balance. What surprised him the most was Kagome suddenly appearing in front of the other boy a translucent barrier forming over them, but not before a stream of water hit her in the face.

Kagome stood her ground until the last of the red liquid stopped shooting from the hose, her hair plastered to her face and dripped with the water. The toxic fumes stung her eyes and she felt it trying to suck the life out of her, but her priestess powers were quickly purifying the toxins. She dropped to her knees in front of Ed, her head bow as red liquid spilled from her lips.

"Kagome!" The young alchemist cried as he quickly pulled the priestess into his arms shaking her gently, He called her name over and over again, but she did not open her eyes. Edward hugged her soaked body close to his, his eyes stinging as he whispered an apology. Raising his human fist, he pressed down on her stomach with all his strength. The priestess jolted in his arms, her eyes snapping open as she covered her mouth.

The priestess felt something hard slam into her abdomen, causing her stomach to lurch and she heaved up the contents. "Dammit Edward! That hurt!" she cursed as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Kagome blinked in shock when suddenly Ed wrapped her up in a bone-crushing hug. A blush tinted her cheeks as she whispered, "Ed?"

Edward held the priestess tighter in his embrace squeezing her slightly. "You're okay." He pulled away and with a stern look he said, "Stop jumping in to protect me! I'm the guy! I'm supposed to protect you!"

Kagome bowed her head. "Sorry. I just couldn't stand the thought of you getting hurt, Ed."

Fletcher walked over to his brother, grabbing his pants leg and pulling on them. Once he gotten Russell's attention, his large violet eyes hardened with resolve. He reminded his brother that their father wanted to create a red stone to bring happiness to be and make their lives better. What they have been doing is actually harming people and making them suffer. He said that their father would be ashamed if he could see what they've done. Fletcher's words seemed to hit Russell hard as the older brother looked away from the younger.

Before anyone could do anything the shrill whistle of the guard rang throughout the room before the booming sound of fists pounded against the door. Edward and Russell cursed at the same time. Fullmetal scooped Kagome up in his arms and ordered for Alphonse to follow him. Quickly they scurried out of the window and took off into the wood. Kagome had protested leaving the Tringhams behind, but she knew there was nothing she could do for them. They were too deep into that research out the red stone.

The priestess felt her powers skimmer over her skin, sending the warning bells in her head blaring. Someone or something was watching them. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on how to pinpoint their auras' exact location, but she could only feel the strength of them. There were two of them. And they felt oddly like Kikyou's golem body and one vaguely like..._'No. She's gone and these beings are much more malicious than my gentle, yet firece friend.'_ Kagome leaned her head against Ed's shoulder, feeling drained of power and she was. She used up nearly all her energy trying to purify the last but of toxins that she did not regurgitate.

Soon the three teens returned to Belsio's home and Edward laid Kagome down on the bed while Alphonse brought in a tub of clean water and a few towels. The Fullmetal Alchemist heated the tub for the priestess, left one of his tank tops for her - since he knew she'd just steal another one from him - and all but shoved Al out the room.

Kagome slid off the bed, kicking off her shoes and picked up a towel, dipping it in the warm water. She cleaned off the sticky red substance from her body, a bit peeved that the liquid ruined her favorite skirt, staining it an almost black color. She peeled off the soaked shirt and tossed in the corner on the floor and slid her skirt and leggings down her legs. She wiped her legs off and dried them before digging inside her pack and pulling out a blue skirt. _'Great! Now I have to change my ribbons and my shoes!'_ She huffed and scourged through the bag for her matching accessories. Once she found the items at questioned, Kagome placed the tub on the desk and dipped her hair inside the steaming water, turning it a bright pink color.

The priestess finally felt better now that her body was not heavy with that red water and dried her hair the best she could before pulled the shirt Ed left behind for her on and slipped her skirt on, tugging the zipper up and put on her leggings; she used her nail to rip the knees. Grabbing one of the ribbons, Kagome crisscrossed the around her arm down to her wrist before repeating the process with her other arm. Lacing up her black boots, she threw the towel around her shoulders and walked out the room. Her eyes widened when she caught on the last bit of the conversation. Belsio had just finished telling the boys about Nash Tringham, who first brought the idea of the red stone to Xenotime, the sickness that plagued the town, and his niece's survival.

"Russell and Fletcher must be Nash's sons." Kagome voiced, the towel sliding off her shoulders. She looked at Belsio, "What happened to Nash Tringham?"

Belsio lowered his eyes to the ground. "No one has seen him since the gold dried up and the town was once on the decline. If those boys are really Nash's sons then..."

Kagome finished his sentence, "They are after his work." She glanced over at Ed and Al, worry filling her eyes. "We have to go back."

* * *

"You're useless!" Mugear hissed, his eyes narrowed at the Tringham brothers as they sat on the floor of the room, their hands cuffed. "You just had to put the contingency Phase 2 into effect!"

Fletcher turned his head and looked at his brother with wide eyes, his voice questioning. "Brother? What is Phase 2?"

The grey-haired man smirked at his prisoners. He thrown them inside the cell once he obtained what he desired, telling them that he knew who they were all along. What fool would not know that the real Edward Elric has an automail arm and his younger brother wore a suit of armor. But the real thing that tipped Mugear off was their eyes. They had the same eyes as that fool, Nash Tringham. Those damned violet eyes! "You want to know Phase 2? It's simply really. You were to introduce the red water into the drinking supply of pregnant women; it permeates their placenta, a factor of biological condensing."

The young blond's eyes were large and filled with shock as he whispered, "No..."

Russell growled low in his chest, "You shut up!" He cursed the fact that his hands were cuffed together; if they were not he would cover Fletcher's ears so that he could not hear the rest of Mugear's gruesome plan.

"When the process is done, you extract it and transmute it into a stone." A sinister sounding chuckled left the crazed man's lips, "It's foolproof! Let Mother Nature do the work." He sneered down at the Tringhams. "It's a shame; you have obviously inherited your father's cowardice."

"Wait!" Russell called out then the grey-haired man turned his back on them with the pretenses of leaving them. "Just tell me one thing Mugear. Did my father ever use that method on someone?"

Mugear turned his lip up at the elder brother, his eyes mocking. "No. At the last minute he had a crisis of morality and back out. If only he'd gone through with the plan, he would have saved his wretched life."

"What?!" the older Tringham snarled, "You liar! You said that heft here alive!" His hands clenched into fists as he struggled against the wooden handcuffs, the splintered bits cutting into his wrists. "Wait! Mugear, get back here!" His cry fell on deaf ears as the steel plate closed over the little window as Mugear left the two boys to rot in the cell.

* * *

Down below the city in the series of tunnels flowing with red water Mugear was on his knees before the brown-haired woman as she sat with her legs crossed on top of the fountain. "I've taken care of everything. Now all we have to do is convince the real Elric Brother to put our plan into motion."

The woman narrowed her purple-hued eyes, the pink on her eyelids becoming more vivid. "You make it sound so easy, but those boys are more complex than you think." she purred, her voice deep and sultry. "But as I told you the first time, you need to be careful about the girl the most."

Mugear scoffed, rising to his feet and throwing his arms out to his sides. "I can handle a couple of children! Please, just put a little trust in me. I will just tell those brothers to leave that girl behind." He raised his clenched fist, smiling proudly. "We're close to milk and honey. I can feel it."

"It's your gamble." she turned her head away from Mugear, her long hair swishing over her shoulder and veiling away half of her face. "Go ahead. One way or the other things will work out." Her tongue traced over her full lips, never once smudging the burgundy lipstick.

* * *

"I'm so sorry those imposters stole your identity."

That was the only thing Kagome picked up on as she snuck past the laboratory. When those guards from Mugear's manor came, claiming that the grey-haired man needed to speak with Ed and Al alone, the priestess agreed to follow them. She concealed her presence with the nature, making her footsteps as light as she could. Once the brothers were led inside the building, Kagome followed the path Russell had carried her through the first time and slipped past the guards as she hopped the fence.

She pulled on her glove and transmuted an entrance for herself and once she was inside, Kagome turned it back into the wall. Pressing her hands against the wall next to her, the priestess sought out for the Tringhams' aura's and found them in the basement next to the library. Keeping her steps light, Kagome raced down the steps and into the cellar where she quickly found the steel door. The dark-haired girl heard Fletcher's voice from behind the entrance, it sounded weak.

Pressing her hands against the steel, she quickly found the soil within and concentrated on bringing it forth. The metal slowly turned a dingy brown as it crumbled into sand. She plastered a wide grin on her face when the two occupiers of the room looked up at her with shock in their eyes. "Hi! I'm here to get you out!"

"Kagome?" Russell echoed, watching the priestess touch the wooden cuffs on his brother's wrist.

The priestess had to be really careful with her lightning alchemy. Once she learned that her father was a State Alchemist code named Lightning, she practiced the art more and more until she could control it freely. Setting the sparks to a gentle thrum over her gloved fingers, Kagome touched the cuffs around Fletcher's wrist, watching the electricity burn through the wood right across the middle and falling off his little arms. Then, the priestess healed the bleeding, chafed skin with her healing abilities.

As she moved over to do the same for the older brother, Russell questioned, "Why are you helping us?"

"Because I know who you are. You're Nash Tringham's sons." she narrowed her eyes as she whacked him on the back of the head. "And I want to know why the hell are you foolishly continuing his work?! Fletcher realized that the toxins in the red water were making the people suffer and so did your father. You need to stop trying to find happiness by chasing your father's failed dream." she rose to her feet, her hands on her hips as she stared Russell down. "Live your own life and stop with all the damned acting!"

Russell stared up at the priestess before rising to his feet. Quickly, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against his chest. "I've told you about your dirty mouth." he whispered fervently and leaned down close to her face. "And now I'm going to clean it for you." Without skipping a beat, the older Tringham swooped down and caught Kagome's lips with his own, sucking her bottom lip into his mouth.

Kagome was more than a little shocked when Russell's warm lips closed over her own and she had to force herself to not turn into a puddle of goo. For a jerk, he sure could kiss! Her face flushed a bright red color and she failed to hear the heavy footsteps of her comrades until they were standing in the doorway in stunned silence.

Fletcher covered his face with his hands, a faint crimson color dusting over his cheeks. He knew his brother was rather bold with his flirtations of the Sacred-Life Alchemist, but this was ridiculous; although he was a little happy. His brother finally found a girlfriend.

Edward could only stand there with his mouth agape and finger pointed as his blood boiled and soon his anger got the best off him. Stomping over to the couple, he, none too gently, ripped Kagome away from Russell. "What the hell?" He balled his right hand up in a fist. "You can't just go kissing people so causally!"

Kagome finally gained her senses and realized that she was no long in Russell's arms, but in Ed's. She raised her arm and rubbed her sore lips from the forced kiss. Even if the tall blond was kind of cute, he was not her type! His cocky behavior and the way he chases after her reminded way too much of Houjou and Kouga. Both who claimed to be in love with her. She threw a glare at Russell as she rubbed her lips again. "I told you: Hands to yourself Russell! I don't care if that was a nice kiss or not! Don't touch me!" she pulled herself out of Edward's and moved over to Fletcher and helped him to his feet.

For some odd reason, Kagome's words made Ed hate Russell even more than he already did. She said that Tringham's kiss was nice and she told him that he could not kiss for nothing and that hurt his pride. _'Even if it was just an accidental kiss, I can't lose that damned copycat!'_

Russell walked over to stand in front of Edward, bending slightly so that he was eye level with the shorter boy as he taunted. "And how many times have you kissed her and she said that it was nice, again?"

"Shut up, Russell!" Kagome snapped as she led Fletcher and Alphonse out the door. "We have to find Mugear."

* * *

Like I said the flood of reviews gave me the inspiration to write this chapter as quickly as I could! I'm so happy that you guys are enjoying my fic. As long as I keep getting such positive feedback like this, chapters will keep coming out fast like this! Oh! And brownie points for anyone who figures out who the woman is. I'll give you a hint: It's not Lust, but am the same time it is and it's not Kikyou!

~Kirei Ai Tenshi


	5. Chapter 5

Brownie points to the two reviewers who guessed correctly! I won't reveal who the mysterious homunculus is up in the author's notes. I'll let you read and find out!

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or Inuyasha...but I ordered an Edward plushie and it should be here soon!

Pairings: Kagome/Edward and Winry/Alphonse

Rating: T (subject to change as characters get older)

Summary: Upon witnessing both Inuyasha's betrayal and her best friend's death, a broken Kagome returns home. Now, she's determined to become stronger. Strong enough to protect her loved ones. But finding love was the last thing on her mind.

* * *

The Sacred Alchemist

* * *

Red dust and pieces of stone clung to Mugear's palm as he stared in disbelief. That rotten boy shattered the closest thing to a Philosopher's Stone so easily. An evil grin spread over his lips as his grey eyes took on a sinister look and he clenched his fist. "Not to worry. That was nothing compared to what those boys will fashion for me."

"Which boys?" Edward's voice said, startling the grey-haired man. Mugear turned around to find the Fullmetal Alchemist with his arms crossed over his chest, his brother standing by his side with a grim look in his glowing eyes, and a young girl with her hand clenched tightly in Ed's cloak. "You mean us?"

Kagome felt her priestess powers skimmer over her skin and she had to force it back down. She could feel the malicious aura surrounding Mugear and it frightened her. Something was off about this man. Why would he lock Russell and Fletcher up in an airtight cell? Their dad was the person who helped return Xenotime to its prosperous environment until he learned the wrong of his deed. _'Wait...Mr. Belsio said that Nash went to confront Mugear about the red water and no one saw him again afterward...'_ Something in her mind clicked. "He killed him..." she whispered, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Mugear glared at the priestess. "What are you saying? Nash Tringham's research wasn't making progress, so I had to let him go."

"No!" Kagome screamed, her powers flaring up around her. She struggled to keep it under control, so that she would not harm Ed and Al. "You killed him because he wanted to end this project!" Her fingers ached from being clenched so tightly as she hid behind Edward, not wanting to go near Mugear.

Edward looked down at the priestess, seeing the fear in her large blue eyes and did not like it one bit. Turning an icy glare at the grey-haired man, he said, "I don't work with murderers, Mugear!"

The master of the manor narrowed his eyes at the young alchemist. "Really? In that case, you're not getting out of here alive." he hefted up a strange machine; red liquid sloshing around inside as several small stones clinked at the bottom. "There are plenty of other alchemists I can use!" He dug around in his pocket and pulled out a red stone - relatively smaller than the one Edward had destroyed - and dropped it inside the thing. A gun barrel sprouted out of the golden oval.

Before Mugear could even point the gun in their direction, Kagome's powers flared out of nowhere. A stone wall shot up from the ground, the transmutation circles on the back of her gloves glowing a soft pink. The yellow bullet-like attacks struck the wall and were absorbed by it. Her circles stopped glowing pink and flashed blue as the wall returned her attack, but now they were blue-white, electrically charged and flying out in random directions. Mugear took cover behind a pillar, waiting out the attacks.

When the stone wall went down, Edward glanced down at Kagome, who was shaking and sweating profusely. _'How did she...?'_ His eyes widened when Mugear pulled out another handful of small handful of Stones and dropped inside his machine. Seeing as Kagome was too drained to even attempt to put up a barrier, Ed grabbed the priestess and jumped out of the way of the onslaught. He and Alphonse continuously had to dodge Mugear's attacks until vines shot out and wrapped around the man's arms, holding him up in the air.

Looking over at the source of the plants, the Elrics saw that Fletcher and Russell were responsible for the halt in Mugear's attack. Leaning Kagome against one of the bookshelves, Edward helped his brother push the crumbling pillar down on the grey-haired man.

Russell threw Edward a smirk. "Well Ed, I do hate to interrupt, but it looked like you needed help." his eyes landed on Kagome and his face fell, "What happened to her?" he rushed over to the priestess' side and took hold of her hand and shook her gently while calling out her name. Russell smiled when she fluttered her eyes open, "Are you okay, Kagome?"

Kagome groaned softly, "Russell?" she narrowed her eyes and snatched her hand back. "Hands off, perv."

He laughed softly. "Same old, Kagome." he stood to his full height and helped the priestess to her feet. "Just want to let you know that we're not going to be chasing our dad's dream anymore. It's time we live our own lives."

Fletcher grinned at his brother's confession and walked over, giving Russell a quick hug.

Alphonse's alarmed cry alerted the other teens of Mugear's escape through the trap door that was conveniently placed directly under the spot where the old man was before getting crushed by the pillar. Russell grabbed face masks off the shelf on the wall near the door, handed one to his younger brother and Ed before taking Kagome's chin in his hands. He quickly pressed his lips to hers and slid the mask on, moving away just as she swung her hands out. Russell flashed Edward a grin and jumped down the trapdoor before either one of them could touch him.

Ed growled low in his chest when he saw Tringham steal a kiss from the priestess and his ire shot up when he noticed the faint blush on Kagome's cheeks as she rubbed her lips. _'Damn copycat!' _He reached out and grabbed the priestess' hand and followed Russell down the opening after putting on his mask. The five teens raced down the tunnel after Mugear, listening to the tall blond's direction until a wall blocked their path. Clasping his palms together and slammed them against the stone, bringing the barricade down.

"I'll never surrender the spring! As long as I have the red water, nothing can stop me!" The grey-haired man declared. "Least of all two diminutive State Alchemists and their copycat friends!"

Kagome's eyes widened at the sight of the cannon Mugear had aimed at them and without even thinking about it; her stone wall shot up, protecting them from the blast and sending it back to the old man. The electrically charged projectile struck Mugear in the stomach, sending him flying back into the fountain he strived to defend.

Edward, once the priestess' stone barrier went back down, stepped over the rubble towards the old man, his golden eyes narrowed with anger. "You see now? Even with your stone, we're on a whole other level."

Mugear glared up at Fullmetal. "Oh yeah?"

Kagome walked over to where Ed was standing and stared down at the power-crazed old man, disappointment in her eyes. "Give up. You've lost." Her eyes shot open wide when the broken fountain suddenly rumbled loudly and red water shot out of the cracks in the stone ceiling. Shifting her eyes over to where Mugear was, she noticed that while Edward and herself were distracted, the man crawled over to where the fountain was. "Mugear!" she shouted just as a large boulder fell on top of him, killing him instantly. The red water sprayed forward, striking the barrier Kagome had quickly threw up to protect Ed. "Edward, come on!"

Grabbing onto his automail hand, the priestess yanked the younger boy out of the underground cavern and rejoined the other boys outside. She turned around and quickly closed the hole in the wall Ed had made. She panted as she grabbed onto Alphonse's arm to steady herself. She was not used to using so much energy in one day. Her combined powers of priestess abilities and alchemy were quickly draining her; and all this tainted water was not helping. It was almost as if the liquid was targeting her for her vast amount of power and sucking it out of her.

Russell saw how the priestess was struggling to keep up with them and turned around, sweeping her into his arms, "That won't do any good. It'll just go shooting somewhere else." He glanced down at the other boys, "We have to get out of here. I think the red water is making Kagome weak!"

That got the four boys in gear. No one wanted to see the priestess hurt; she'd become a close and reliable ally. Together they raced out of the tunnel, scampering out of the trapdoor, down the stair, out the foyer and made it to the gate. Looking back, they saw streams of red water trailing down the face of the mountain.

Kagome tried to remove herself from Russell's arms. "I think I can purify it. It has a demonic feel to it." she remembered when the toxic liquid hit her in the face from her last encounter and how her priestess energy purified the water from her body; although back then she was at full strength. Right now in her weakened state, Kagome doubted that she could cleanse such a large amount of toxins, but she could not let it reach the town.

Ed took her from Tringham's arms and placed her in Alphonse's. He felt a lot better with her in his brother's security. "No! You're too weak to even attempt it." After pressing his palms together, he set his hands down on the ground and a wall circled the manor, trapping the red liquid. "Now to find a drain."

Fletcher ran into the forest just above the toxic water, his hands busy drawing a circle into the bark of a tree. Closing his eyes, he placed his hand over the circle and a green glow shot out from his palm. Soon the trees surrounding the manor quickly turned bright red as they soaked up the red water. Russell joined his little brother and smiled down at him. Together they used their alchemy to detoxify the liquid and once the entire forest was a bright crimson color, the Tringhams froze them. The red forest then turned a chilling shade of blue before they shattered into particles of ice.

The priestess felt her breathing come in easier once the red water was gone, but her strength was slow to return. She frowned at the vast and empty lot that used to be the forest and turned her eyes down at the boys. "You saved the town," she began happily, but her next words were dark with anger, "but destroyed an entire forest in the process!"

They cringed at her harsh words and soon realized why no one dared to make Kagome angry.

* * *

Violet-hued eyes narrowed as she watched the four boys being forced by the girl into replanting the trees they destroyed. "That girl..." she whispered. "She seems familiar." Pain streaked through her head as her chest began to throb. Doubling over in pain, a pain filled hiss left her lips as she grabbed onto her head. Her body shifted from the voluptuous and curvy figure to a more athletic built, her revealing black dress turning into a skin-tight black jumpsuit with pink armor and her eyes flashed chocolate-brown.

"Aargh!" she screamed as she ran into the forest.

"Lust?" a child-like voice called out as a portly figure tumbled after the woman, his fingers stuck into his mouth. "You okay?"

The woman, Lust, felt the pain in her chest settle now that she was no longer near the priestess. She raised her head, her eyes back to their normal violet-hued color, and a sultry smile tilted at her lips. "Yeah. I'm fine, Gluttony." She touched her chest, where her mark of the ouroboros lay, and stroked it gently. "Just some bad memories."

Gluttony looked up at Lust with curiosity in his white eyes. "I'm hungry. Can I eat the girl?" he grabbed his stomach.

"No, you cannot. We need her as well as those Elrics." She cooed before pointing at the dumbfounded guards who happened to spot them. "You can have them."

A large grin spread over the round homunculus' face as he charged over to the men, sinking his teeth into their flesh and relishing in the taste of blood washing over his tongue. Although it was not as satisfying as the taste of a girl, who he liked the most because they were soft and tasty, the men curbed his hunger for now.

Lust looked away from the sight. It always disgusted her when watching Gluttony eats. His manners were deplorable, but he was very child-like.

* * *

The next day Edward practically crawled to the train station. He was so damn tired. Who knew Kagome could be such a slave drive. She had them up until three in the morning planting trees and to make things worse, the priestess forbade them from using alchemy. Nope, they had to dig and plant saplings the long and hard way. While he and Russell dug up the holes, Alphonse and Fletcher replaced the empty places with the trees Kagome made them purchase. It was a long slow process and she did not even lift a finger to help them.

"_It's your own fault." She'd mocked, placing her hands on her hips. "You should have let me purify it, but no...You had to use the trees."_

Ed felt his muscles ache as he gave his ticket to the Ticketmaster. Sitting at his seat near the window, Fullmetal glanced over at Kagome, who was busy reading the letter Russell had given her. Remember that he also wrote him a letter; Ed dug around in his coat pocket and pulled it out. His eyes scanned over the sheet quickly and soon the car echoed with his loud shout of, "What!"

Kagome lifted her blushing face out of her letter and found a pouting Edward. "What's wrong?" Without warning, she snatched the note out of his hands. A laugh left her throat when she finished reading what was written on the paper. "He's a whole year younger than you and that much taller!"

Fullmetal gritted his teeth before looking to see that the priestess left her letter unguarded and quickly swiped it away. "Hold her back Al!" He snickered when Kagome sprung out of seat and Alphonse quickly wrapped her up in a bear hug to keep her from wringing Edward's neck. Clearing his throat in an over exaggerated way he read, "To my sweet and dearest Kagome, your beauty means no bounds. I can never forget someone as charming, smart, strong, or loyal as you. Your lovely blue eyes are like a depthless ocean..." he snapped his eyes up, "What the hell? He wrote you a love letter!?"

The priestess flailed around in Alphonse's hold, spitting out curses to the brothers and swearing that once she gets loose, they will not like it. "It's none of your business! Now give it back!"

"Oh, no! I wanna see this letter that a guy **two years younger **than you wrote." Edward teased, even though he was seething on the inside. The jerk actually wrote the priestess a declaration of love! He barely knew her! He looked back down at the paper and continued, "I cannot wait until we meet again. I will surely sweep you off your feet and you won't ever tell me: "Hands to yourself" again after I kiss you. For the next time our lips meet, I'll render you breathless as I take you in my arms..." He did not even finish the sentence before Ed crumbled up the paper and tossed it out of the window. "What the hell is wrong with that guy?!"

Kagome finally broke free of Al's hold and rushed over to Ed and pulled on his braid. "I told you not to read that! That was my letter!" she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest and stuck her tongue out at him childishly. "You're just mad that Russell can kiss better than you!"

That was the final blow to his pride. He was tired of Kagome saying that he could not kiss. It's not his fault that the damned train hit a bump and caused them lock lips, but it hurt him that she constantly reminded him about it! Deciding to prove that Tringham did not kiss better than him, Edward grabbed Kagome's arm and yanked over to him as he hid them behind the seat separator. "How about I prove you that I can kiss far better than that damned copycat!"

"Wait! Wha-" the priestess' eyes shot open wide when Ed closed the space between their lips and catching her completely off guard. Her eyes slid shut with a soft sigh as she surrendered to his kiss; his lips were slightly chapped, but warm and smooth. Slowly, she felt his automail arm clumsily wrap around her waist and warmth spread down her spine as she wound her arms around the heated flesh of his neck.

Edward had to admit, even though he kissed Kagome out of spite of hearing that Russell was a better kisser, he liked having Kagome's soft lips on his. Moving his mouth experimentally, a small spark went down his spine and he began to kiss the priestess more fervently. Out of pure instinct, Edward parted his lips slightly, his tongue tracing over Kagome's mouth softly, and he felt her jump slightly. Feeling bad about scaring her, Fullmetal was about to pull away when he felt her little tongue shyly touch his.

When their wet appendages touched, fireworks went off behind them and there was nothing, but them in the world. Ed's human hand left her arm in favor of curling behind her neck to hold her in place and to tilt her head back further. He groaned lightly at flavor that exploded over his tongue. She tasted sweet like the apples Belsio gave them before they left. Kagome sighed and kissed Edward back - he tasted of oranges - with just as much as fever as he did and they devoured each other. Fullmetal concentrated his breathing through his nose and took in her natural scent of roses and something that was distinctly...Kagome. The priestess curled her fingers into Ed's shirt and gasped lightly when the cool metal of his automail hand touched the skin of the small of her back; her blood rushed in her ears as her heart felt like it was racing a mile a minute.

Ed, reluctantly, pulled away from her petal soft lips, his breath coming out in little pants and the nerve sensors in his metal hand tingling from touching Kagome as he whispered, "Still think Tringham's a better kisser than me?"

Not trusting her voice, Kagome shook her head and hid her blushing face in her hands. She quickly ran and took her seat beside Alphonse and glared at him when it looked like he was about to tease her about her red face. "Don't even ask, Alphonse."

Alphonse tilted his head down at the priestess. What was she talking about? They were just having a little fun. And what happened when his brother took Kagome behind the cover? He had so many questions to ask, but he settled for saying, "Your hair's messed up, Kagome."

Fullmetal walked back over to his seat with a victorious smirk on his face. Even though he knew Kagome could very well zap him to East City and back with her lightning alchemy, he just could not resist, "I wonder why?"

Sacred-Life shot Edward a glare and if looks could kill, he'd be ten feet under. But once their eyes met, a blush spread from the tip of her hairline down to her neck and she looked away, yanking out her ponytail holders and retying her hair back up in twin pigtails. Kagome then picked up her heavy yellow bag and threw it at his face. "Shut up."

* * *

Kagome sat on her bed in Central, her legs crossed lotus style as she regulated her breathing. A soft pink glow surrounded her; it took a lot of meditating to keep her powers in balance. A streak of blue-white light joined her aura, zipping around. Taking a deep breath, the priestess released her energy into a nearby bonsly tree that she used for her experimentations. The lightning struck first, burning the tiny tree to ashes before her priestess abilities wrapped around the ashes and singled out the life that still pulsed within. Pulling on her gloves, Kagome touched the barrier around the remains and concentrated on bringing it back.

Just as she grasped onto the life, her mind decided that it wanted to replay what happened on the train a few days ago when they left Xenotime. A heavy blush turned her cheeks brilliant red as she remembered just how passionately Edward kissed her and how she returned it with just as much. Her concentration broke and her powers went astray, lashing out at her in a Rebound.

And like all her Rebounds, this one frizzed up her hair and singed the ends. Kagome waved the cloud of smoke away from her tree, sighing when she saw that it had turned into some unrecognizable thing. Placing her hands in her hair and pulling slightly, the priestess screeched in frustration. Ever since Edward kissed her, she could not concentrate on her powers. They would not stay in sync because her thoughts strayed to their lip lock.

'_Why is that stupid kiss affecting me like this?'_ she thought to herself as she transmuted her bonsly tree back to its normal state. Sliding her gloves off and placing them in her skirt pocket, Kagome sighed and went to the cafeteria. She ignored the catcalls of the men of the military. Sometimes it sucked being the only female State Alchemist around, but when she walked over to Riza, the calls ended abruptly.

Kagome and First Lt. Hawkeye have become close friends over the course of the years and they shared many girl time secrets. On one of their daily talks, the priestess find out that Riza actually liked that egotistical colonel, Roy Mustang. It took the priestess forever to finally look at them with a straight face afterward, because whenever they were together, Kagome swore Riza's mood was much happier.

"Riza..." Kagome said once she sat down next the older woman. The priestess noticed that while she was gone, Hawkeye let her hair grow out and now had it pinned back with a red clip. "I need to talk to you."

The First Lt. looked down at the young priestess who's become quite the good friend, her cinnamon-brown eyes holding a light of understanding. "Sure." she excused herself from her conversation with Havoc and turned to face Kagome. "What's wrong?"

Kagome looked over at Jean, who was practically leaning over the table to listen to whatever the priestess had to say, and sent him a sharp glare. "If I wanted you to hear, I would have told you by now, Lt. Havoc!" she snapped out and causing the older man to jump up out of his seat and moved to another table. Sighing, Kagome turned back to Riza, "It's about my alchemy."

"If it's about that, shouldn't you talk to Fullmetal-?"

"No!" the priestess said quickly, her face turning an interesting shade of crimson. "I can't ask Edward."

An all-knowing glow entered Riza's eyes as a small smirk tilted at her lips. "I get it. You can't concentrate on your abilities because of Ed." Kagome's blush said it all as the lieutenant continued, "Do you like him? And be honest. You know I can tell when you're lying, Kagome."

The priestess bowed her head in defeat and just as she opened her mouth, Ed's voice echoed across the room; calling out her name. Hurriedly willing away her burning face, Kagome placed a cheerful smile on her face as she responded with, "Yes?"

He jabbed his finger over at Alphonse, who was holding up a small yellow kitten. "Tell Al, that we can't keep it!"

"It's so cute!" Kagome squealed as she took the feline from Al's hands and hugged it to her chest. She brought the little cat up to her face and nuzzled it with her cheek; a giggle left her lips when the kitten licked her with its rough tongue. Turning bright eyes at the two brothers she said, "Where'd you find it?"

Al rubbed the kitty's back, making it arch up against his hand. "Remember that rainy day when we came back to Central? Well, it was sitting out in a cardboard box." His voice took on a pleading tone. "I just couldn't leave it there."

The priestess nodded. It was kind of Alphonse to save the little cat, but Ed was right. They could not keep it; with what them traveling around so much. The kitten could get sick. Stroking the cat's head, Kagome gave Al a sad look. "Edward's right. We can't keep it." She nearly gave in to his pleading look before adding, "We'll find a good home for it."

"As a matter of fact..." Edward said sneakily.

Just as he said those words Colonel Roy Mustang waltzed into the room, Riza and Jean, almost, immediately went to his right hand side. He was also flanked by Sergeant Major Fuery, Warrant Officer Falman, and Second Lt. Breda. Roy glanced over at Ed, a slight frown on his face when he spotted the yellow kitten still clutched against Kagome's chest.

Ed flashed a grin at the colonel. "Since my assessment's up. I know the perfect way to show off my skills and find the cat a new home."

Alphonse saw the sneaky grin on his brother's face and groaned, "Oh no."

* * *

Fuery looked up at his partners with confusion in his black eyes. He tilted his head to the side as he chimed, "Battle Assessment? Sounds weird." He scratched the puppy he found behind the ears, smiling when the pup barked happily up at him and licked his fingers.

Falman, after spending a little time with Fuery and the black and white dog, gave in to its cuteness and patted the puppy on the head, but moved his hand when it tried to lick him. "Does the army really do that?"

"Yeah, sometimes." Havoc muttered, a bit peeved that his comrades did not find his joke from early funny. He was only kidding about turning the pup into stir fry. At that time, Jean was starving and the little dog was the closest thing to meat. Flipping a cigarette in between his lips, he said, "The alchemists go up against each other in a mock battle. And they're graded on how they use their skills. I just think it's weird Ed actually requested it."

"And picking the Colonel too." The silver-haired man hummed, rubbing his chin, "That's a heck of an opponent to take by choice." He chuckled softly as he began to make bets. "Seriously, though. Who do think would win, if they were both really giving their all."

Fuery looked up from the puppy, his eyes wide. "Are you kidding? It's gotta be the Flame."

Havoc placed his hand on the shorter man's shoulder, letting out a stream of white smoke. "I don't know. You can't count out Fullmetal, either. The kid's a hero in this region, plus he has Sacred-Life to spar with. And everyone knows who her father was." He blinked and took another drag from his cigarette, "Then again, when you think about all the stories of Mustang during the Rebellion..."

The bespectacled man moved away from Jean out of habit. Ever since they cruel joke, Kain has been on guard about the puppy. "But why would Ed propose thins to begin with? It's so risky."

Hawkeye's voice surprised the three gossiping men as she and Roy entered the room. "It's for a cat that his brother found. The conditions are that if Ed wins, Mustang has to take care of it." She smirked as she held the little bit of information that she found out. Edward only challenged Roy to this Battle Assessment because Kagome was struggling to find a good home for the kitten

"A cat?" Fuery's shoulders dropped as he looked down at the dog sadly. "I guess that's bad news for this guy. I was hoping the Colonel would take him." he blinked when the pup was suddenly removed from his arms. "Sir?"

Roy cradled the puppy against his chest and rubbed the length of its small back. "I love dogs!"

"Really? You mean it?"

"Of course." Mustang declared, petting the little dog behind the ears. "Dogs embody loyalty. They follow their master's command above all else." He poked the pup in the side, making it yelp and growl at him lightly. "Be a jerk to them, and they don't complain. And they never once beg for a paycheck." Roy turned back around and dropped the puppy in the bespectacled man's arms. "Trust me, Fuery; they're the great servants of man! Loyal Canine, How We Salute Thee!"

Havoc scratched the back of his head as smoke left the inside of his mouth and he stamped out the bud into a nearby ashtray. "Well, you're awfully manic today, sir. I figured that challenge would make you worry some."

Roy flashed Jean a lopsided smile as he lifted his arms up in a shrug. "Come on, the Führer knows it wouldn't be fair with me against the kid. I'd love to show off my valor, but there's no way he's gonna do it."

* * *

Boy was Roy Mustang proven wrong. The Führer agreed to Ed's proposal to the Battle Assessment and soon a crowd was surrounding the Parade Grounds and the newly promoted Lt. Colonel Hughes was at the center of the field. He quickly turned into the annoying overly loving father as he broadcasted a large photo of his three-year-old daughter, Elicia and Kagome could not help but to laugh when the poster fell on top of the overjoyed father.

The priestess stood between the Führer and Alphonse, the little kitten clutched closely to her chest as she watched Edward stretch out his muscles in an overly exaggerated way. She rolled her eyes when she heard some of the men placing bets, mostly against her...friend? Boyfriend? Kagome did not know what to call Edward at this point. She emotions were out of control right now. Maybe, just maybe, the priestess liked Ed a tiny bit.

"Kagome?" Al's voice broke the priestess out of her musings just as the fight began. He watched his brother dodged the first onslaught of the Flame's attack, fire launching from his fingertips and surrounding Ed. "Do you think Brother will win."

Kagome scoffed, blowing her bangs out her eyes. "Honestly, Alphonse, I doubt Edward thought this through when he challenged Mustang to this fight." She sighed when she saw Ed frantically transmute a wall to protect him from being burned and hid inside the crowd. "He's hopeless without me to help him."

Bradley turned a small smile down at the Sacred-Life Alchemist. "Would you like to help him?" he asked, his visible eye crinkled with happiness. "You're assessments coming up soon, too. You're free to join in at any time."

The priestess bounced on her feet, "Really?" she grinned at his nod.

"This is hard! He's such a small target!" Roy taunted, pushing all the right buttons into making Edward reappear from the crowd. Snapping his fingers, he sent everyone surrounding the Fullmetal flying into the air. He smirked when a flash of red entered his sight and his raised his fingers, ready to snap and send another wave of flames at Edward. His eyes widened when the dust cleared and he saw that it was a stone dummy that resembled the young alchemist with its tongue sticking out and red cloak billowing in the wind,

Edward grinned as he finally had an opening, quickly transmuting his dagger over his automail; he sliced through the white cloth of the Flame's glove. "Without that glove, you can't make flames anymore, can you?" He clasped his palms together and pressed them to the ground, a giant cannon shooting up and poised to fire. "That's advantage Elric!"

Kagome rolled her eyes at Fullmetal when she saw his eyes nearly bulged from their sockets when Mustang pulled his left hand out of his pocket, revealing his other glove, blew up his cannon, and sent him flying. Once course he'd have a back up. Gloves come in pairs of two! She looked up at the Führer with expectancy in her eyes, "Permission to go save Fullmetal, sir?"

Bradley smiled down at the young woman. "Granted."

Sacred-Life immediately hopped the chain and rushed over into the battlegrounds, slipping on her black gloves, Kagome slammed her hands against the ground, her transmutation circles glowing pink. A small earthquake rumbled the ground around the Flame and he stumbled, his aim going astray and missing Edward completely. She turned her smirking face over to the two men. "This is my assessment too now."

Charging full speed at Roy, Kagome weaved her fingers around in the air, collecting the static and making it swirl around her fingers. Thrusting two fingers out, she sent a current at Mustang, who quickly dodged her attack. The priestess moved over to Ed's side and kept her stance on the offensive even as she teased, "You're hopeless without me."

Edward huffed, rolling his eyes as he clapped his hands together and brought a wall up between them and Roy. "I don't need your help. This is my fight."

Kagome jumped and twirled around in the air, a blue-white light dancing around her small frame as he pointed her index finger at Roy. "Whatever. I saw how you were running like a coward from Mustang. You knew that he's too powerful of an opponent for you to take on by yourself."

Fullmetal tucked and rolled before springing to his feet and grabbing Kagome around the waist, tackling her to the ground when Mustang's flames split, heading for the both of them at the same time. He groaned and lifted himself up, rubbing the area of his head that a rock had struck. Feeling something warm and soft underneath him, his gold eyes looked down. It was a repeat of their first 'accidental' kiss. Ed above Kagome with his human hand resting comfortably between the priestess' breasts. "Gyaah! Sorry!"

Taking advantage of the teens' distraction, Roy snapped his fingers together and produced a spark in which he used alchemy to ignite the flame, sending at the young alchemists. The orange streaks of light struck the ground around Kagome and Edward, launching them into the air. They hit the concrete hard and it dazed them.

Roy approached the teens. "All war is deception. Think your enemy has a weakness, and it becomes his strength. Remember that." he lifted his fingers, ready to end the fight when a flashback of the Ishval Rebellion surfaced in his head, Ed and Kagome being over shadowed by a young girl and boy with dark skin and red eyes looking up at him fearfully.

"Just end it." Edward's voice shattering the muse of the Flame.

"You don't have to ask." Mustang said, his finger poised the send his flames at the two teens. Just as he snapped, a stone wall shot up and his attack bounced back at him. Roy quickly sidestepped the newly electrically charged and blue glowing flames and turned stunned onyx eyes at the children. Once the barrier went down, he saw the priestess breathing a little heavier and wincing slightly every now and them.

Bradley clapped his hands together, gaining the attention of the three alchemists. "All right. That's far enough. An excellent fight by three skilled alchemists."

Roy saluted to the higher up. "We are honored by your compliment, Führer."

Edward wrapped his arms around Kagome and helped her stand. "Don't stop us now. We're not done yet."

"That may be true," the older man smiled, his eye closed, "but if I let you go on, it would be much harder for just the three of you to clean up." He turned on his heels to leave the three of them alone to clean up the mess their fight left behind.

* * *

Edward threw himself on his bed, tired from having to clean up the Parade Grounds. He did not realize how badly they damaged the grounds. All he was concerned about was giving that sarcastic colonel a fist to the face, but he finally got the information he wanted about Marcoh. He rolled over and nearly had a heart attack when a ball of yellow fur jumped on top of his head. "Al!" he swore as he reached up and pulled the kitten off his face. "Take Asami to Hughes. She's Elicia's now."

After Mustang had given him all the info about Doctor Marcoh, Ed knew that he could not ask the Colonel to keep the cat. It was Kagome who suggested to Maes that Elicia needed a pet now that she was three years old and the kitten would be perfect for her. Once again Hughes took it way out of proportion, showering the priestess with thanks, hugs and dozens of pictures of his daughter.

Alphonse scooped the little cat up in his arms and rubbed his hand down the length of her back. "Brother...do you like Kagome?"

"What?" Ed shot up quickly, his eyes wide and a blush tinting his cheeks. "No! I mean...she's just a friend who's a girl."

"Then what about that kiss?" the younger Elric asked as he turned around to take Asami to Roy.

Fullmetal leaned back on his pillow, folding his arms behind his head. "I only kissed her to prove I was better than Russell."

Alphonse's glowing eyes widened when he comprehended what his brother just said. He'd not only kissed the priestess once, but twice! When did that happen? His thoughts went back to the day they left Xenotime, when Ed yanked Kagome behind the seat separator and how they did not come back to their seats for a few minutes. Al had assumed that they were talking not kissing! Placing the kitten inside his armor, the younger brother said, "You kissed her again?" his voice took on a teasing tone as he continued, "You do like Kagome!"

"I do not!" he denied before hesitating, "Well...maybe a little! Shut up, Al! I'll deny everything if you bring it up around her!"

The younger Elric said nothing as he slipped out of the room and headed for Maes's office to deliver Asami to Elicia. Taking the yellow cat out of his chest plate, he rubbed his metal cheek against hers. "We found you a good a good home. I promise to come and play with you whenever I have time." Al smiled when the kitty mewed and licked his palm.

* * *

Riza approached Fuery, her hand held out. "Well, if you've got no other candidates...I guess I can handle him, Kain."

Fuery's eyes widened as Hawkeye's acceptance. "Really? That's awesome!" he gasped when the puppy suddenly jumped out of his arms, running past Riza and over to the wall. He sniffed it a few times before lifting his leg and a stream of urine hit the wall. Turning a sheepish smile over to Riza, Kain rubbed the back of his head, "Sorry. Guess he's just relieved to have an owner."

Hawkeye said nothing as she quickly pulled out her gun and shot six rounds at the dog, showing off her skills as a sniper. Not a single bullet hit the pup as it cowered against the wall. "Now, you won't be doing that again, will you, pup." she held up her silver pistol, the sunlight gleaming off of it. "See you've got a strict mommy now. The bathroom's out here. Got it, Black Hayate."

Kain sunk to his knees. "What's wrong with all you people?"

* * *

"Look at them, Gluttony." Lust commented as she placed her hand on the rail of the window she was leaning against. She and her portly partner had came back to Reole to find it engulfed in a mass civil war. She narrowed her eyes as the sight, "Humans just can't stop being so foolish."

Gluttony looked down at the crowds of people, his stomach rumbling as he echoed, "Foolish, Foolish."

"Yes, they really can't." a new voice said, causing Lust to glance over her shoulder, her long brown hair partially hiding away her face. It was the priest Cornello. "This stupidity has to at least be refreshing, to be able to do as well as this."

The brown-haired homunculus leaned her back against the rail, a small smirk on her burgundy tinted lips. "Well, well, it's the "Priest".

"Deer." the round one chimed, a small bit of drool dripping out of his mouth and he stuck two fingers into his mouth.

"Sorry to have had to bother you." she purred.

Cornello shook his head, his smirk never leaving his lips. "Yes well, once this is over, you will let me go back to the city that I'm in charge of."

Lust turned back around, staring out the window and twirled a lock of her hair around her finger as she licked her lips. "When that Fullmetal boy and Sacred-Life girl interfered, I was wondering what I would do...but looking at the results now; they helped us by finishing our work here faster than what was scheduled."

The priest's smirk widened to a grin as he clasped his hands together. "With just a little control of information on your part and a little shove to the people of the church of mine, this is how things turned out." he gestured to the fights that were breaking out all over town. "This is because humans are so very simple. Bloodshed begets bloodshed. Hatred begets hatred. A powerful festering energy roots itself in this land and carves a crest of blood."

"No matter how many times they repeat it, they're unable to learn from it." Lust said scornfully. She could not believe that she had desired to be human at one point in time. She was glad that she came to her senses when she saw the monster Shou Tucker had become when she went to see how his research was going. Lust killed him on the spot and destroyed his work. "Humans are such stupid and sad creatures."

"And isn't that why things are turning out as we had desired them to?" Cornello countered.

Gluttony looked up at the brown-haired woman, seeing her evil smile and the way her pink eye shadow seemed to deepen. "Lots of people going to die again?"

Lust placed her face in the palm of her hand as she returned to watching the civil war below. "Yeah. A lot will die." A her evil grin softened when the portly homunculus asked if he would get to eat all of the dead people and she put her other hand on top of his bald head. "No, you may not." Cutting her eyes behind her she referred to the priest. "By the way, Envy, how long do you plan on talking and looking like that? You're making me feel sick."

'Cornello' smirked as his flesh began to peel away. "Oh come on, 'twas done in the spirit of things" he joked as long strands of wispy black hair sprouted from the top of his head as the wrinkled skin fell away, revealing the smooth pale flesh beneath, "But if I'm going to have to transform, instead of a worthless old geezer, " A young man broke through the shell of the dead priests, his lithe form gracefully walking over to his comrades, "It's be nicer to look young and cute like this." The mark of the ouroboros visibly shown on his left leg.

Lust took in Envy's new form and a laugh bubbled up in her chest and broke free as she said. "You have the vilest personality among us though." Her brown hair shook with her giggles.

Envy placed his hands on his hips as he snarled, "You trying to pick a fight with me, old lady?"

Before the voluptuous homunculus could retaliate for that comment a voice cried. "Monster!" they turned to see one of the priest's followers standing in the stairway, his eyes wide with fear. "What's going on? The Priest? Where is Priest Cornello?" he shouted, his heart racing a mile a minute, "What are you things?!"

"What do we do?" Lust questioned, expecting her nails.

"Monsters, huh?" the lithe homunculus growled, "How rude."

Gluttony eyed the man hungrily, drool pouring out of his mouth, "Can I eat him?" He'd already launched him at the follower, tearing into his body and spraying blood everywhere. He teeth easily broke the bones and tore through the firm muscles as he devoured the man's body. He saved the head for last though; it always tasted best when eaten last.

Envy looked away from the sight, turning back around and leaning against the rail. "How can you stand to watch him?" he did not give her a chance to answer as he said, "You killed Shou Tucker, didn't you?"

Lust glanced down at the shorter man. "Yeah. If I hadn't, I'd never would have realized how foolish it was of me to want to be human."

"I don't care about that." he waved his hand back and forth. "It's about "That" guy."

"You mean the State Alchemist Killer?" she echoed, toying with a lock of her hair. "I wonder if that Flame Colonel was there at the time..."

"Yeah, and the Fullmetal shrimp and Sacred-Life brat was also there. From what I hear the girl was Tucker's niece." The black-haired boy smirked evilly. "You should've waited to kill him. I would have loved to see her face when you slaughtered her family."

Lust rolled her eyes at the blood lustful homunculus. Why he bothered with such a young body when his mind was in a constant state of slaughter was beyond her. "The Fullmetal and Sacred-Life...I'm mad that he interfered with our work, but we can't let him die." She rubbed her ouroboros mark gently as a quick burst of pain went down her spine. "And that priestess...we could use her too. As our precious sacrifice." Somewhere in the back of her mind, Lust felt a part of her denying using Kagome for their own means, but she knocked it away.

Gluttony waved his hands up at the two, a large grin on his face. "Lust, I'm done!"

The brown-haired woman frowned slightly at the round boy, lifting her nose up at the heady scent of blood and the sight of guts still around his face. "Now, what have I told you?" she chided, "Wipe your mouth, Gluttony."

Envy grimaced at the unrecognizable lump that used to be the follower. "I don't know who he is, but it would pose a problem if something outside the schedule were to happen."

"I understand. We're almost finished settling things with this city. Let's take a look over there." Lust commented and placed her hand on Gluttony's head when he moved back over to her side. Her lips turned up in a seductive smile, "So what's called? The Alchemist Killer?"

* * *

Kagome giggled into the phone as she heard her brother argue with their grandfather in the background. "Sounds like you guys are getting along just fine without me." she teased, smirking at her mother's gasp of indigence.

Nodoka's voice was reprimanding at best as she said, _"You know that we miss you, Kagome."_

"I know, Mama. I was only teasing." She twirled the cord of the phone around her finger as she bit her lip. "I really need to talk to you about something important."

"_You can tell me anything, sweetheart."_

The priestess hesitated, glancing around the windows of the phone booth to make sure that Edward or Alphonse was not nearby. When she found them still waiting for her back by the stairs, she whispered, "You know the boys I travel with helping?" She took a deep breath when her mother confirmed her accusations. "Well, I think I like Edward, Mama. He kissed me when we left Xenotime and ever since I can barely keep my priestess abilities and alchemy in sync."

"Oh! There you are!" a soldier cried when he spotted Ed and Al sitting on the stairs, the clouds opened up and rain spilled down on them. "Mister Edward!" he placed his hand over his mouth to project his voice louder, "Mister Edward Elric! Thank goodness you're alright! We've been looking for you! Where's Miss Kagome Higurashi?"

Edward pointed to the phone booth where the priestess was conversing. "She's over there. What do you want?"

The officer held his hand up. "You are to return to base at once. Brigadier General Grand has been killed!"

Her mother laughed softly into the receiver. _"You truly are your father's daughter. Akio was the same way when he met me. His lightning alchemy kept going astray and Rebounding on him. It wasn't until he confessed that it began working properly again." _She heard her daughter's gasp of horror and instantly became worried, _"Kagome! Kagome! What's wrong? Kagome, answer me!"_

"The truth is that there's a serial killer in this..."

"Edward Elric..." an ominous voice boomed as a tall, dark skinned man loomed over the two. "The Fullmetal Alchemist!"

The soldier reached for his gun, but Scar grabbed his face with his hand, a red glow emitting from underneath his jacket sleeve. Blood exploded from the man's skull and Scar threw him to the ground, his eyes narrowed on Edward. He flicked his wrist, splaying blood with the movement.

Ed felt frozen on the spot as he stared up into the man's shaded eyes. His legs would not move even though his head was screaming for him to run. Was this the end? Was he really going to die? A head of raven hair filled his vision as the priestess moved in front of him, her lightning alchemy shooting from her fingers. Just as the bell struck nine, Kagome grabbed Edward and Alphonse's hands, dragging them down the road.

"Come on, you idiots! Do you want to end up like that soldier?" she screamed, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she pulled the two stunned brothers along. She picked up on Scar's heavy footsteps and his shout of them to stop. Once they reached the alley, she felt Al let go of her hand. "Al? What are you doing?" she cried, watching him draw something in the ground.

The two older teens watched as Alphonse transmute a concrete wall up to block the alleyway and the faintest hint of relief filled them. But shock traveled up and down their spines when Scar broke through the barricade, stepping in through the hole. Ed cursed as he grabbed Kagome hand in his and they took up down the alley. Scar growled low in his chest as he calmly placed his right hand against the wall of the building next to him. The stone flashed red as it began to crumble and exploded, trapping the three teens.

Kagome's eyes widened as she took in the damage, the explosion caused rubble to block their only exit. "This is a joke, right?" she reached out and grabbed Ed's automail hand for comfort as she turned wide eyes up at Scar. "Why are you going after us?"

"If there are creators, then there are also destroyers." the older man recited as he stepped closer to the teens.

Edward let go of the priestess' hand and sighed when she clasped onto his cloak, shaking her head slowly. Something did not feel right about this man, his strange ability to kill people by making their skulls explode. Ed flashed a tight lipped smile that said, 'I'll be fine.' he shrugged off his coat and left it with the priestess. Fullmetal clapped his hands, grabbed a nearby pole, and transmuted into a long, gleaming dagger and Alphonse got into a fighting stance.

Scar grinned maliciously. While Kagome was his main target; seeing as she was a priestess and that she decided to use her God given abilities for alchemy. Oh, he was going to have fun with this. "You've got guts!" He dashed past the two teens, his right arm poised to grab hold of either one of them, "but you're too slow!" his hand swept backwards, red light flitting over his fingers as he slammed it into Alphonse's body and breaking down his suit.

"Al!" Kagome screamed. She ducked under Scar's arm, narrowly avoiding the danger as his fingertips brushed along her shoulder. Biting her lip sharply at the pain that surged down her arm and it hung limply at her side. The priestess assessed Alphonse's damaged body and was relieved to find that Scar's attack did not reach his blood symbol. Her eyes widened when there was a sudden burst of bright light in front of her and Ed was thrown against the wall. "Edward!"

"Automail. I see. It shouldn't have been destroyed through 'Human Destruction.'" The tall tan-skinned man turned back to the priestess, a grim look on his face. "Kagome Higurashi, the Sacred-Life Alchemist. You know what it is like to do the work of God and yet you blasphemy him by helping the evil in the world create when it is only His right to do so," he flexed his arm. "I'm going to enjoy sending you away as a turncoat to God."

The priestess' eyes widened with fear as Scar's arm of destruction inched closer and closer to her head. She blinked in surprise when Edward was once again blocking the taller man's strike against her. "Ed?"

Scar grunted before wrapping his left arm around Ed's in a tight hold. The black tribal-like tattoos on his arm flashed bright red. "This annoying arm must be destroyed."

The next thing the three teens realized was Edward being thrown back against wall, his automail crushed to pieces and leaving an empty socket. Fullmetal's eyes widened to their greatest extent as he dropped to his knees, holding onto his shoulder. Kagome screamed, standing to rush to the blond's side, but Alphonse held her back.

Kicking and screaming, she shouted, "Let me go Al! Edward needs help!" the rain matted down her hair as she continuously struggled against the younger brother. "Ed will...Ed will...He'll be killed!" Kagome watched with pain filled blue eyes as Scar's right hand dropped upon the blond's head as Ed surrendered to the older man. Edward negotiated with Scar, asking if he would spare Alphonse and herself. With an enraged cry, Kagome's powers flared zapping Alphonse and forcing him to let her go.

Alphonse jerked his hand back. He felt that. When Kagome's power went astray with her fear, he felt it shocked him. He raised wide eyes when he saw the priestess shove Scar's hand off of Edward's head and wrap her arms around his neck, glaring at the older man. "What are you doing? Get away now!" his crumbling body would not allow him to move any closer to them. He could only watch as his brother and best friend were being stalked by Scar.

"If you want to kill Edward, you'll have to kill me first!" Kagome declared, ignoring Ed's struggles to push her away. It was then that she realized that her feelings for the Fullmetal had long grew past the friendship level, but on an emotional one. Seeing Edward about to be killed sent her into a frenzy and she was desperate to save him. She would not let him sacrifice himself for her! No way in hell!

"Kagome!" Brother! Don't!" Alphonse shouted when he saw Scar smirk evilly and lift his hand.

Just as the tan-skinned man brought his hand down, a stone dome covered the two State Alchemists. It glowed a faint pink color as it rebounded Scar's arm back. He hissed in pain from the shock that surged up his arm and numbed his body. Before he could even think about breaking the barrier, a gunshot went off and he turned to find the Flame Alchemist with his pistol raised.

"That's as far as you go." Roy said, his eyes narrowed at the round stone barricade. He tossed Riza his gun as he slid on his glove, ready to snap his fingers and send his flames at the man. "Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist!"

Scar hummed, his arm slowly regaining its feeling. "Another one who dares to defy God." he threw his head back and laughed. "Today is a good day!"

Roy glared at the man when we finally saw what was behind the stone barrier, it was his two protégés, Edward and Kagome! He bared his teeth in a snarl, "You know that I am the Flame Alchemist and yet you dare to fight me! You fool!"

Riza ducked low and swung her leg out, tripping Mustang before Scar could grab his head. Pulling out her two handguns, she took aim at the tan-skinned man's head and firing a round of bullets at him. She growled when he deftly dodged her onslaught. She did not even look at Roy when he cursed at her and replied, "You're worthless when it's raining. Please stay back Colonel."

Scar grinned. "And in addition to you coming here, it's nice how you can't use your flame." he flashed him a look that was a mix between happiness and hatred. "State Alchemists and those who are obstacles to me mission! I will annihilate everyone here!"

"Then try to." a new voice said from behind Scar. His fist raised and slammed into the wall when the other man dodged his attack. He hummed, "To be able to dodge my attack means that you are quite good. Quite good indeed. Oh you fiend who commits wrongs against the State. You said that you would annihilate everyone here?" he narrowed his eyes. "How absurd! Then first! Best me in combat! I, the Strong-Arm Alchemist!"

"Alex Louis Armstrong!" Kagome chimed. The Strong-Arm Alchemist was a good friend of her father's. She often remembered him coming to visit her dad's grave and paying his condolences to their family. Just as she stood to help Armstrong, a wave of dizziness hit her and she fell back on her knees, her breathing labored. Leaning against Ed, Kagome said, "Be careful Mister Alex!"

Armstrong flashed the priestess a smile before turning a grim look at Scar and smashing his gauntlets together. He punched the ground, chunks of stone flew up around him and he struck them, each one transmuting into a steel arrow and flying full speed at Scar. The other man moved his head to the left, narrowly avoiding the first projectile and ducked to dodge the other three. He covered his face when jagged spikes shot out of the ground, piercing his coat and slicing a thin line across his abdomen. He swung his arm out and destroyed the spike that trapped him.

Havoc sighed and lowered his gun, his cigarette nearly falling out of his mouth, "Major! Please don't destroy too much of the city!"

"What did you say?" Kagome grinned. She knew what was about happen next. Whenever someone mentions the word near Alex, the results were instantaneous. "Behind destruction, there lies creation! Behind creation, there lies destruction! Destruction and creation are two sides of the same coin!" his shirt ripped off of his body. "Destroy and create! For this is the law of the universe!"

The priestess flashed Ed a smile. "Isn't Mister Alex the greatest Alchemist ever?! He was second only to my papa!"

Edward lifted his brow at her. "Uhm...sure..." he grimaced when she slapped in the back of the head. "What was that for?"

"You'll find out soon." she said angrily.

The next thing they knew, Riza was down on her knees with a rifle in her hands and had it aimed at Scar. She fired one shot, aiming for his forehead and growled when she missed. Hawkeye only grazed him and knocked off his sunglasses. "He's fast." her next words were stopped by a gasp when they finally saw what was hidden behind Scar's shades.

His eyes were a bright shade of red. He was an Ishvalan! Scar let out a sound that no one was able to comprehend as he raised his hand into the air, red light flitting around his fingers, as he slammed his palm against the ground. An explosion erupted from the concrete and Ed covered Kagome with his body, shielding the priestess from the debris. There was a large hole and was deep enough to go down in the sewers was in the place of the Ishvalan.

"Damn!" Roy cursed.

Everything else happened so fast that Kagome could not keep up. Hughes came out of hiding. Alex helping her stand. Edward rushing over to Alphonse worriedly. Al punching his brother in the face and yelling at him. She snapped out of it when the two brothers began fighting and Alphonse's right arm fell off and landed in Ed's lap. Moving away from her father's former comrade, Kagome walked over to the Elrics and placed her hands on their shoulders.

"We're all beat up." she sighed and placed Ed's cloak over his shoulders. The priestess blinked when he took it off of him and placed it on her.

Edward looked at her sadly. He knew that he scared her bad when Scar placed that arm of destruction on his head, ready to blow his skull up from the inside. "But we can't sulk about it because..."

Alphonse placed his hand over Kagome's. "We're alive."

* * *

Kagome could not help but to laugh when Alphonse deadpanned as he rejected Armstrong's offer to fix him. She knew that Alex meant well, but the priestess knew that Ed would not trust anyone with the construction of his little brother's body. Her deduction was right when he stated that only he knows how to fix Alphonse since he knows how his brother's soul is bound to the armor.

Edward placed his hand on his shoulder where his automail used to be. "I have to get my arm fixed first."

It was then that everyone began ganging up on the Fullmetal since he could not used alchemy. They called him various names like: A kid with a rotten tongue, a bratty midget, and worthless. Edward felt his pride crack with each derogatory comment and he flailed his arm out. Kagome pinched his cheek; she was still mad at him for scaring her half to death, plus she was not talking to him.

Looking down at the priestess and seeing the carefully hidden angry that burned in her deep, dark blue eyes, Ed sighed. "I'll have to see my mechanic."

* * *

A few days later, Kagome, Edward, and...surprise, surprise, Alex Louis Armstrong sat in the first class section of the train on their way to the Elrics' hometown, Resembool. The priestess was chatting animatedly with the Strong-Arm Alchemist, sharing tales of her father's heroics when he was still alive, while Ed was brooding on the fact that Kagome had not spoken to him in the last four days.

Kagome giggled behind her hand and said, "Papa did what?"

"Whenever he was around your mother, he tried to show off his alchemy and ended up being electrocuted by it." Alex chuckled softly. "I told him not to do that."

The priestess shook her head, her long raven locks sliding off her shoulders and covering her face slightly. "Mama told me that Papa often screwed up with his science when he was near her." she shivered and pulled the red cloak tighter around her body. Multiple times, Kagome tried to give the jacket back to Edward, but he refused every time. It did not help that she was still not talking to him, but he did not deserve it for scaring her like that.

Armstrong nodded before looking down at the Fullmetal. "You're awfully quiet Edward Elric." he tilted his head. "Does it bother you that your brother is with the cargo?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "No." he rose out of seat and moved into the aisle. "Speaking of Al, I'm gonna go check on him."

Kagome watched as the boy she'd realized she had feelings for walk away. Slowly gaining her resolve, the priestess rose to her feet, announcing that she was going to go see Alphonse as well and followed after Ed. Once she reached him, she grabbed his hand, feeling the warmth of his palm because he was not wearing his gloves. "Edward?"

"Finally talking to me, huh?" he said, not looking at her. "You finally gonna tell me why you hit me back when we got attacked by Scar?"

"I was scared..." Kagome said in a quiet voice. She raised her dark eyes up at Ed and looked into his bright golden orbs. "I was scared that you were going to be killed."

Edward's eyes widened at her confession, his arm raised but he did not know what to do with it. It was torn from grabbing the priestess and holding her against him or taking her chin his fingers so that she'd look up at him and repeat what she said. "Sorry..."

Kagome shook her head. "Sorry's not good enough. Promise me that you will stop bargaining your life for mine or Alphonse." she touched his cheek gently. "You're all Al has, Edward." her eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she leaned in closer to the Fullmetal. "And I..."

Before she lost her nerve, the priestess closed the gap between them, pressing her lips firmly against Edward's. Just as their mouths touched, her tears broke free and trailed down her cheeks in silent rivers. She put all of her feelings in that small kiss and wrapped her arms around Ed's neck and pulled him closer. Kagome kissed his lips, his cheeks and his forehead before she moved away from him altogether.

"Edward...I like you."

-0-0-0

Yay! Kagome finally realized her feeling for Edward! And it only took them nearly getting killed by Scar to do it! I hope you're satisfied with this chapter! I've been neglecting my other fics to work on this one, so the next update may take a little while. Please be patient, 'Kay? Review!

~Kirei Ai Tenshi


	6. Chapter 6

You guys should be proud! This story has completely taken over my interest! At this rate I won't update my other stories until I complete this one! And thank you shadowcaster01 for the critique. I'll work on making it more realistic and have Kagome be more than a 'extra mouthpiece.' Anyways here's the next installment!

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or Inuyasha..so please stop making me repeat myself

Pairings: Kagome/Edward and Winry/Alphonse

Rating: T (subject to change as characters get older)

Summary: Upon witnessing both Inuyasha's betrayal and her best friend's death, a broken Kagome returns home. Now, she's determined to become stronger. Strong enough to protect her loved ones. But finding love was the last thing on her mind.

* * *

The Sacred Alchemist

* * *

Edward stood there in silent shock with Kagome's arms around him and her lips still lingering on his as she gave him one final kiss. His bright golden eyes watched her as she slowly moved away from him and folded her hands in her lap, keeping her eyes low and her teeth worrying her bottom lip. Ed raised his fingertips to his tingling mouth, feeling the warmth of Kagome's touch slowly fading away.

"Kagome I-" he was silenced by the priestess when she placed her finger on his lips. Edward locked eyes with Kagome, gold meeting blue, and saw the scarlet blush spreading across the bridge of her nose and flooding her cheeks.

"You don't have to say anything." Kagome whispered. She touched the left side of her chest, feeling her rapidly beating heart. Leaning forward once more, the priestess pressed her lips against Ed's cheek in a sweet kiss, "Just think over what I said," and moved over to the exit. Sliding the steel door open, she turned slightly, her long dark hair acting as a veil, "I hope this doesn't ruin our friendship." and she was gone.

Fullmetal watched Sacred-Life slip out of the room and the instant she was gone, the blush he was holding in broke free. He sunk to his knees and leaned back against the wall. Edward closed his eyes and touched his lips once more. He could still feel Kagome's mouth on his and smell her sweet scent. Ed felt emotions that he never knew he had stir up inside him. Desire. Want. Affection. All of these feelings were because of Kagome.

His mind replayed the scene over and over again. From the sweet caress of her lips to her shy confession and the only thing he could think about was the priestess. Edward thought about her smile, her laugh, her voice, her everything. It was then that the blond realized that he felt the same about Kagome. Ed liked her the most. The pretty little priestess has wormed her way into his heart and now he did not want to let her leave. Fullmetal rose to his feet, placing his hand on the door with the intentions of returning Kagome's feelings.

He approached the priestess and took her hand in his. "Kagome I-"

"Doctor Marcoh?!" Alex questioned as he leaned out of the window. When the man turned around he, Armstrong cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted, "Doctor Marcoh, don't you remember me! Alex Louis Armstrong from Central!"

The man turned around, horror easily seen in his wide black eyes. He brought his hands up over his face as he ran for his life away from the train station.

Kagome tilted her head to the side when Edward suddenly released her hand with a grim look. Marcoh? Why did that name sound familiar? She raised a brow when the blond announced that he was getting off and for them to follow. Soon, Alex had Alphonse out of the cargo hold and they were asking questions about the man Armstrong called out to. The priestess pressed her finger to her temple, trying to remember where she heard the name Marcoh.

"Did this elderly man pass by?" Armstrong questioned a couple of men, holding up a sketch of Marcoh.

Edward glanced at the drawing and his eyes went wide with shock. The picture was almost an exact replica of the former State Alchemist. "...Major, you're great at drawing..." he said in a deadpanned tone.

Alex held his head up in an overly confident manner, a small sparkle glinting off his little blond curl. "This is the artistry that has been passed down to generation after generation of the Armstrongs!"

The elder of the two men assessed the sketching. "Oh? That's Doctor Mauro!"

Everywhere they went afterwards, the name Mauro came up when they showed the drawing. People bragged about how he was a good man, that he did not care if they could not pay him for his services, and that he will not abandon a patient that everyone thinks has absolutely no chance of survival. They said that his way of healing was very unique. There was a flash of light and then their injuries were healed.

"Flash..." Kagome tilted her head. "Then it's most likely alchemy." she looked up at Alex for answers. When he gave her none, the priestess racked her brain for something anything, that would remind her about Marcoh. She's heard that name somewhere, but Kagome could not remember. The dark-haired girl continued to walk along side her companions as they went through the town to Doctor 'Mauro's' house. A gunshot broke her from her thoughts as her powers flared from being startled and her barrier shot up.

Ed pressed his hand to his rapidly beating heart as he glared at the man from behind the barrier. "What did you do that for?"

"Please calm down, Doctor." Alex began, but his eyes were on the priestess. He's known the girl since she was a small child and never knew that she was capable of such feats. Armstrong vaguely remembered Akio telling him about how his father wanted him to become the priest of their family shrine, but he would not have thought those powers would have transferred to Kagome.

Marcoh held his gun with shaky hands. "Did you come to take me back?! I don't want to go back there! Please just let me be!" His eyes traveled down to Kagome and they widened even further. Those dark blue eyes! She could not be! He was told that the Lightning Alchemist had no relatives other than an elderly father and an older brother! "Why is she here!"

Kagome blinked and pointed her finger at herself. "Me?"

"They told me that he did not have any other relatives!" Marcoh said as his hands trembled, the gun rattling between his fingers.

"What are you-!" the priestess was cut off when Alex threw the crate holding Alphonse at the doctor, knocking him to the ground. Her eyebrow jumped with nervousness as she laughed unsteadily. "Mister Alex was that really necessary?"

The Strong-Arm Alchemist hefted Al back on his shoulder. "I told him to calm down."

* * *

Marcoh swirled his cup of coffee around as he removed his gaze from the priestess to the table. "I need to apologize to the young girl."

Kagome leaned forward on the table. "For what?"

"I had mistaken you for someone else." he chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Seeing the innocence that practically rolled off the young woman was too much for Marcoh. He could not tell her the truth. It would break her little heart. He glanced back over to the two blonds. "I just couldn't bear to do it..." he sighed when he saw the look in the young boy's eyes; someone told him about his research. "Even though it was an order from above, to be made, to dirty my hands on it, and then it was used at the Eastern Civil War as a tool for mass murder...It was a truly horrible battle. Too many innocent bystanders died."

The priestess felt her heart cry out for the lives that were lost. It reminded her of the final battle with Naraku; how he had slaughtered countless villages in search of the Sacred Jewel shards. Hundreds upon thousands of lives were lost everyday and Kagome nearly blamed herself for causing it. But it was Sango who reminded her that it was not her fault. Turning her attention back to Marcoh, the priestess listened to the rest of his tale.

"What I have done are things that cannot be atoned for by just taking my life. Even so, I am acting as a doctor here for as long as I can." the older man sighed tiredly.

Alex sympathized with the doctor. "Just what did you research and what did you escape with?"

Ed sat on the edge of his seat. He was about to find out if Mustang's words were true of the Crystal Alchemist. If he had truly created a Philosopher's Stone.

Marcoh bowed his head as a small sob left his lips. "I made the Philosopher's Stones." he splayed out his fingers on the table to steady himself as he rose out of his seat and walked over to the medicine cabinet. "The research files and a stone are what I brought with me."

"You have a stone?!" Fullmetal sprung up out of his seat, grunting when Kagome, discreetly, rammed her elbow in his side. Wincing, he shot her a glare, but a bright blush entered his cheeks as his eyes trailed down her face to her lush, pink lips. Shaking his head, Ed cleared his mind of those types of thoughts. Now was not the time to be thinking about that!

"Yes." The doctor opened the cabinet and pulled out a glass vial filled with a clear red liquid.

At first Edward and Kagome thought it was Red Water, but saw that this liquid was much clearer than the water back in Xenotime. That fluid was darker and gave off a pungent and vile vapor, while this one was simply a clear red color. They watched in awe filled shock when Marcoh pulled the cork that sealed the jar and poured the contents on the table. The red liquid jiggled before taking on an oval-shaped form. Both teens reached out to poke the orb and their fingers accidentally brushed against each other.

Kagome snatched her hand back when a shock tingled down her body from the slight contact. She held her fingers closer to her chest as a faint scarlet color dusted over her cheeks. The priestess was liking Edward more and more as the seconds past; it shocked her at the rate this boy she met a mere three years ago could attract her so. A small smile twitched at her lips when she saw Ed poke the red blob with a cute expression on his face. _'That's one of the many reasons why I like him! He can be so darn cute!'_

"The Philosopher's Stone," "The Celestial Stone," "The Great Elixir," "The Red Tincture," "The Fifth Element." Marcoh recited, his eyes trained on the priestess, trying to gauge her reaction to the one thing that she will despise for the rest of her life once she finds out the truth. "Just as the Philosopher's Stones have several names, their shapes are not limited to that of stones." he sighed and took the orb off the table and slipped it back inside the vial. "However, they remained experimental creations up until the end. Imperfect objects that will eventually reach their limitations and become unusable. And yet, they were used secretly during the Civil War, and their overwhelming power was demonstrated."

Edward's mind went back to his fight with Cornello and his fake stone. Putting two and two together, he came with the conclusion that the priest must have had one of those imperfect stones. A smirk tilted at his lips, "Even though you're saying that they're an imperfect creation, making it means that with further research, we might be able to produce a perfect one!"

Kagome sighed and rolled her eyes. She knew where this was headed and reached in her pocket for her watch - she'd started keeping it clipped to her inner pocket, away from view, since the attack from Scar.

"Mister Marcoh, can you show me the research files you took?!" Ed asked.

The doctor shifted his eyes over to Alex. "What should I say to him? Major Armstrong, who is this boy?"

"We're both State Alchemist, Doctor Marcoh." the priestess said, holding up her pocket watch by the chain and twirling it around her fingers.

Marcoh's eyes widened when he saw the blond hold up his own watch with a wide grin on his face and he sighed heavily before placing his hand on his forehead. "And now even children. To obtain enormous research funding, you were probably lured in by its privileges and obtained a license. What foolishness!"

"Excuse, me." Kagome cut in, her eyes sharp. "You don't know the reasons why Edward and I became State Alchemist. It does not matter how old we are; it was our choice to become a part of the military." Her nimble fingers sought out the locket around her neck and she held onto it tighter. "Until you know the truth about our intentions, you have no right to criticize us."

Edward looked over at the priestess with shock in his golden eyes. No one has defended him like that and yet, Kagome has done it on more than one occasion. She even risked her life to save him. He truly found a great girl to like. Not only was she pretty, Kagome was kind and considerate. He grabbed his right shoulder, where his empty automail socket was. _'She is an awesome girl. I find myself liking her more every time she speaks. I really want to tell her how stupid she makes my chest feel.'_

"So...you ignored the ban..." the doctor said after he assessed Alphonse's body inside the crate and the empty right sleeve on Ed's jacket. "I was surprised. I didn't believe it possible to successfully transmute the soul of a particular person." he hummed. "You might be able to create a perfect Philosopher's Stone."

Fullmetal jumped up out of his, flashing Kagome a smile. "Then...!"

"I cannot show you the files!" Marcoh shot the boy down, his eyes stern as he grabbed the vial off the table and stood to place it back inside the medicine cabinet. "This is the end of the discussion. Go home. I cannot let you have the stone for something as minor as restoring your bodies."

Kagome shot up from her seat and. along with Edward and Alphonse, echoed, "Minor?!" Her anger soon got the better of her and her lightning alchemy started to swirl around her body in blue-white waves. How dare this reject alchemist call returning Ed and Al back to normal minor? He had no right! Granted that Kagome was going to destroy the stone after it restored their bodies, but still! She opened her mouth to shout at Marcoh, but his next words stopped her.

"It is better if you didn't see it." he sighed, not looking at the four occupants of his home. "That's the research of the devil. Once you know about it, you'll see the very face of hell."

Edward gritted his teeth as his eyes narrowed into a glare as he hissed out, "If you're talking about Hell, Kagome and I saw it a long time ago!"

The priestess kept her face neutral when Marcoh looked over at her with shock in his black eyes. Her version of Hell was much worse than anyone could even imagine. Losing a parent at a young age, being dragged into a different era at thirteen, falling in love with a two-timing jerk and being betrayed by him after he confessed that he only wanted her, seeing her best friend killed before her eyes...

"I can't let you." the doctor whispered, leaning against the glass cabinet. "Please go home." he heard the shuffling of feet and turned to see Alex hefting the crate back on his shoulder and they left his home. Sighing as he walked over to the window to watch them walk further and further away from his house. Ed's final statement replayed in Marcoh's mind and he bowed his head in shame.

* * *

"Is this really fine with you?" Kagome asked Ed as she sat down close to Alphonse, playing with the ribbon of white hair. She smiled as Al let her braid his hair in a long plait that draped over her lap.

Edward sat down angrily on the bench next to Kagome and placed his left leg on his right to keep it from jumping in irritation. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Mindlessly undoing and redoing her project with Alphonse's hair, the priestess commented, "While you wouldn't have been able to see the files, you could have quickly taken the Stone by force." Kagome tensed for his answer, even if she had promised to help Edward and Alphonse regain their original forms, she would have no part in it if that meant thievery.

"Hell yeah...I really, really wanted it!" his face softened just a little bit, "But then I remembered the people we met on the way to Mister Marcoh's house. Even if we restored our bodies by robbing this town of its life support, it'd just leave a nasty aftertaste." He turned his golden eyes on the priestess, a faint smile twitching at the corners of his mouth as he watched her play with Alphonse's hair. A small twinge of jealousy streaked down his mind as he wished that it was his locks Kagome was braiding. "We'll just have to look for a different way. Right, Al?"

Alphonse looked up at his brother, trying not to move his head too much. "Yep."

Kagome smiled at Edward's answer. She really did choose right this time. While, he still had a badass attitude, Ed was sweet and kind when needed to be. But first...he has to respond to her confession and that was something the priestess was scared to hear. Turning to look over at Armstrong, she said, "Mister Alex, are you fine with this too? You didn't report anything to Central about Doctor Marcoh?"

"The man I met today was only a town doctor named Mauro." he replied.

Fullmetal cracked a smile as he threw his head back over the bench. "Gonna have to start from scratch again. Man, this is a really long road." His eyes trailed to Kagome and down to her hand that was not fiddling with Alphonse's hair. Edward swallowed thickly as a red color flitted over his cheeks. He inched his fingers closer to the priestess', but jumped when someone shouted,

"Hey!"

"Mister Marcoh..." the three teens echoed.

The doctor held up an envelope as he wiped his face with his other hand. It looked like he ran all the way here from his home on the hill. "This is the place where the research files are hidden." he walked over to Edward and placed the parchment in his hand, "Look at this if you won't regret knowing the truth, and if it's you and the young girl, you will uncover the truth behind the truth." Marcoh glanced over at Kagome, who blinked owlishly and stood to her feet. "No. I've said too much. I pray that you will restore your bodies one day." he waved them off as he walked out of the station.

Kagome frowned when Ed stood and placed her hand on top of his head and pulled him down in a bow. "Be respectful!" she whispered fiercely, rolling her eyes when he laughed sheepishly.

* * *

Marcoh sighed as he placed his hand in the door handle. What had he just done. Those two children will have their hopes and dreams crushed. Especially the young girl. Once she learned the truth behind the secret of the Philosopher's Stone, the priestess will hate him and everything to do with the research. He pushed open his door and walked inside his home. Marcoh went to hang his coat up when a voice made him freeze up.

"It's been a while, Marcoh." a low, sultry voice said casually. Lust placed her face in the palm of her hand as her violet-hued eyes narrowed. "What an unexpected result I've gotten from watching over the Fullmetal and Sacred-Life brats." she laughed when the doctor reared back against the wall and lifted her hand up to examine her nails. "Oh don't worry. I didn't come here to bring you back. Even without you, your assistants are doing a great job taking over where you left off."

The doctor's eyes widened further as he watched the brown-haired woman carefully. "It can't be...You are still continuing to make those things!"

Lust narrowed her eyes as she twirled a lock of her hair around the slender width of her index finger. "Oh my." she purred. "How awful it is for you to forget that the ones who gave you the knowledge to produce a Philosopher's stone were us. Even without you, even without the files, the research hasn't stopped." She purposely left out the bit when she killed the top researcher because of his obsession with bringing his dead daughter back to life and because if he were to still be living her desire to be human would have increased. The homunculus narrowed her violet-hued eyes as she continued, "The matter of the research files you took with you, on the other hand...it wouldn't be so bad if an ordinary person were to find them, but it'd be very bad if practitioners as good as that boy and the priestess were to take a look at them."

The woman rose to her feet, her coat hanging off her body and was caught in the crooks of her elbows. "You ran away from the laboratory when you had an inkling of the truth. Isn't that right?"

Marcoh set his lips in a grim line as he inched his hand closer to his pistol. "So that's how it was. I had prayed that I was wrong, that it was a nightmare, but..." he growled, "You filthy demons!" an anguished scream was ripped from his throat when a long, sharp blade stabbed his right shoulder.

Lust twisted her blade-like finger slightly as she stepped closer to the doctor. "Don't try anything funny." she tilted her lips up in a small smirk. "The place where you hid the stolen files. You told that boy, didn't you?" The brown-haired woman snarled when Marcoh tried to deny what she questioned and stabbed her finger deeper into the joint of his shoulder. "Don't play dumb. I'm busy. I don't have time for useless chatter."

Blood dripped down Marcoh's wounded arm and formed a crimson puddled around his feet. "That boy's bright...and so is the girl." he gripped his injured appendage, trying to restrict the blood flow. "When they see those files...One day they will find out the truth; what you are trying to do!"

"And am I going to let that happen?!" she sneered, her lips twisted up in a snarl that made her look more sinister than usual.

The Crystal Alchemist mocked the homunculus, mimicking her last sentence as he slowly traced something on the wall without her knowledge. He laughed outright in her face as she said, "You not going to be able to do anything! Because!" he finished drawing his transmutation circle, a faint blue light flitting over the circle, "You are going to die here!" A giant spike shot out of the wall and impaled Lust in the abdomen, blood dripped down her chin as she bowed her head. "You let your guard down." his eyes widened.

Lust's body began to shift once more, changing from voluptuous to athletic. Her revealing black dress spread over her body and turned into a black, skintight jumpsuit with pink armor. She tilted her head back, revealing her warm chocolate-colored eyes. "That's so mean." her voice was a mixture of sensual and determination, "I just died, didn't I?" Her eyes flashed violet as she sliced her left hand finger over the protrusion and slowly pulled it out of her body. "I've totally forgotten." Lust's voice was back to normal. "That you're also an alchemist that's worthy of being one of the "Sacrifices." Her clothing shifted back as the hole in her stomach closed back up.

The homunculus touched the mark of the ouroboros as she willed away unwanted memories. Vaguely in the very back of her mind, being stabbed like that brought up memories from when she was human. Lust was one of the very few sins who remember bits and pieces of their past lives. She even remember her original name, but refused to tell anyone what it was. Her violet-hued eyes narrowed teasingly at the doctor, "Now, what are you going to do?"

"Doctor!" a soft, feminine voice cried out before a young girl, no older than ten rushed into the house carrying a small bouquet. "I've brought flowers!"

"Kiri! Don't come in!"

Lust swung out two of her fingers and trapped the little girl against the door, her blade-like fingers surrounding Kiri's little neck. The homunculus flashed the child a pleasant smile. "Now be a good girl." her smile turned evil as she glanced back at the doctor. "Marcoh, you do know what will happen...if I twist my hand a little bit?" Lust grinned when he pleaded for her to let the girl go. "Wrong answer." her eyes pierced right through his as she growled, "Say it."

Marcoh bowed his head in defeat. "The place that I told the boy...where the files are hidden."

"That place is?" the female was starting to get annoyed.

* * *

Kagome looked over Ed's shoulder as she read what was written on the note that Marcoh had given him. "The Central Library. First Branch. Tim Marcoh." Upon reading the doctor's full name, the priestess finally realized where she's heard his name from. He was her father's research partner and companion in Central. _'But why did Doctor Marcoh say he mistaken me for someone else. It's quite obvious that I'm Akio Higurashi's daughter.'_ She shrugged her shoulders, looking up at Alex when he spoke.

"So, he "hid a tree in a forest." Armstrong murmured, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "The amount within that library's stack of books in staggering."

Ed's hand trembled as excitement went through his body. A small grin spread over his lips as he folded the slip of paper and placed it in his coat pocket. "There's a clue about the stone there!" he shifted his eyes over to the priestess and his brother, his eyes shimmering with determination. His grin spread even further when Alphonse confirmed what he was thinking and he watched as the train pulled up in front of them.

* * *

Lust withdrew her fingers away from the child's neck and Marcoh's shoulder and Kiri immediately ran over to the doctor, crying into his chest. "Keeping it al the Central Library. Not too shabby. And here I thought you ran off with it." She flipped her long brown hair off her shoulders and swept it up into a high ponytail. The homunculus did not even spare Maroh a glance as he demanded to know what she and the other sins were up too. "Even if you don't worry about it, you'll find out soon enough. I'll let you live until then, Marcoh." Lust walked over to the door, her hips swaying seductively without her even trying. She paused, "If you try to run away or interfere with our work or do anything else stupid like that...If you even think about trying anything funny - Yes, that's right." she laughed lowly to herself, "I'll erase this city off the map."

The homunculus exited the doctor's home, walking down the steps slowly. "Now, the Fullmetal boy isn't going to like this and the Sacred-Life girl will probably appreciate this, but..." she placed her hands on her hips with a smirk on her lips. "I wonder if they'll let me go ahead of him and dispose of those files."

* * *

Kagome watched admiringly at the way Ed interacted with the people of his hometown. How he had that wide, goofy grin - the one she'd come to adore - on his face as he joked about his arm. _'It's so peaceful here.'_ The priestess took a deep breath through her nose, the crisp, clean air of Resembool reminding her of the Feudal Era. There was a dull ache in her chest as Kagome fingered the locket beneath her shirt. _'Maybe after we get Edward's arm fixed, we could search for Shippu along the way...'_

The priestess followed Ed as he guided them up the path. She saw the way his shoulders seemed to stiffen when they walked past the cemetery. Kagome wanted to go and hold his hand to comfort him, but she was afraid to find out his answer to her confession. Turning her eyes up at the crate that Al was in, Kagome said, "How are you holding up?"

Alphonse looked down at the dark-haired girl. "I'm okay. But Brother is taking it better than usual." he glanced over at his brother. It surprised him greatly when they took a left turn at the fork, going to long way past the graveyard. He knew that whenever they mentioned their mother, Ed would fight back his tears. "Ever since you became our friend, Ed's been taking this a lot easier."

Warmth flooded over Kagome's cheeks. "I didn't go anything." she murmured. Wanting to change the subject before Al could tease her about her blush, the priestess said, "You never told me who's your mechanic, Edward." She smiled when a black dog with an automail leg ran towards them and bounced on her feet to steal a glance ahead of them to their destination. Kagome saw that they were approaching a house where an old woman smoking a pipe waited by the gate. _'She's so little. Granny Kaede was bigger than her.'_

"That's Granny Pinako." Edward said, tilting his head over at the woman. A smile appeared on his face as he said, "Hey, we need your help again." he turned and introduced Armstrong to the little woman, who shook hands with the large man. The smile on Ed's face warmed when he looked at the priestess and took hold of her hand, "And this is Kagome Higurashi, the Sacred-Life Alchemist. She's the one who took the State Exam with me and Al, and became a State Alchemist with me."

Pinako grinned as she took her pipe out of her mouth. "Looks like this hothead of a pipsqueak found a girlfriend."

Kagome blushed bright red and was about to deny the fact that she was not Ed's girlfriend when the Fullmetal exploded at the pipsqueak comment, roaring into a fierce argument with Pinako. She winced at the harsh named they called each other. Mini Hag. Ultra Squirt. Midget Hag. Microsquirt. Flea-sized Hag. The priestess rolled her eyes when Ed ignored Alex's attempts to make him apologize and walked up and grabbed Fullmetal's arm. "Apologize, Edward."

Ed glanced from the priestess and Pinako repeatedly, seeing Kagome narrow her eyes in tiniest bit before he muttered out an apology. He jumped when the dark-haired girl patted her back with a wide smile on her face and he smiled along with her. _'She's so pretty when she smiles.'_

A glint of light flew at the couple at an alarmingly fast speed, catching Kagome's attention and she quickly summoned up her barrier just in time. The wrench slammed into the pink bubble, cracking and shattering it since the priestess did not really make it all that strong. The tool clipped Kagome's arm and she hissed in pain - the wretch struck the same arm that was wounded in their fight with Scar and for some reason her healing abilities could not heal it. She gripped her shoulder and raised her dark blue eyes up to the balcony to find a girl with long blonde hair.

"Winry, you jackass!" Ed cursed the girl as he checked out the priestess' wound. The wrench had cut her forearm and a small line of blood marred her pale skin. "You hurt Kagome, you mechanic junky!"

The blonde-haired girl sent an apologetic look at the other girl as a streak of jealousy went down her body. Why was Ed so concerned about this girl? Was she the Kagome in his letters? "Didn't I tell you to at least call once before you show up for a maintenance check!"

"Oh shut up! Be happy that I came home!"

Winry cracked a smile. "Whatever! Welcome home!"

* * *

The blonde-haired girl screamed when Ed took off his coat, revealing his missing automail arm as he sipped a cup of hot cocoa and crossed his right leg over his left. She pointed a shaky finger at him as she stuttered out, "How in the world did you wreak the best automail that I painstakingly made? I put my heart and soul into that!"

"You can't blame me! It got totally smashed into little pieces!" He covered his face when Winry picked up another wrench and was prepared to smash it into his skull. Ed braced himself for the pain that never came. Opening his eyes, he saw that a translucent barrier was formed over him. Glancing over to his left, Ed found Kagome drinking her tea calmly, the transmutation circles on the back of her gloves glowing, and the next thing he knew, Winry was screaming.

"My wrench!"she cried as rusty colored dust slid between her fingers. Turning her grey-blue eyes down at the dark-haired girl, she took a step back. What kind of strange alchemy did this girl possess? The way her wrench just turned to dust in her hand terrified her. With wide, unblinking eyes, Winry questioned. "Did you do that? I thought that only Ed could transmute without circles."

Kagome dropped her barrier and placed her cup of tea on the table. Slowly, she removed her black gloves and showed the blonde the circles on the back. "My own personal circles. I cannot transmute without circles, but I can combine my priestess abilities with my alchemy." The priestess rose to her full height, standing just a bit shorter than Winry. "I understand that you're upset over Edward breaking his automail, but you should be a friend first and a mechanic second. Stop trying to hit him with your tools."

Winry shifted her eyes away from the girl. Kagome was right. The blonde should not be acting like this. Sure, she was worried about Ed and Al since she had not heard from them in so long, but that did not give her an excuse to be hostile towards Edward. Glancing over at Alphonse, Winry saw how busted up he looked and questioned about it. Walking over, she cautiously placed her hand on his armored shoulder. "Just what have you guys been doing?"

Pinako entered the room and felt the tension that had built up in there. She glanced up at Armstrong and shrugged her shoulders before tell Ed to remove his pants so that she could measure his leg. Pressing them together, she saw that he'd grown since the last measurements. "Guess I was wrong, pipsqueak. You've actually gotten taller."

A sly grin tilted at the blonde girl's lips as she rose to her feet. "Oh my. You've gotten kind of bigger. The last time we measured you, you were at-"

"Shut up, Winry!" Ed snapped before turning to Pinako to roar, "And don't call me pipsqueak!"

The little woman tapped her pipe against the knee of Edward's automail leg. "The leg's fine because we still have the base, but we'll have to start from scratch with the arm."

Kagome, learning a little bit of mechanics from when she was studying for her exam. "So that may take around a week, Granny Pinako."

Pinako took a drag of her pipe, blowing out white smoke as she cracked a grin at the priestess. "Don't underestimate me. It'll be three days. Besides you have important business to do in Central." She reached down and unsnapped Ed's leg and handed it to Winry, who gave her the spare in return. "Anyway, just put up with using this spare for three days."

The priestess grabbed Ed by the arm when he stumbled. She smiled as a blush crept into her cheeks when their eyes met. Slowly, Kagome took her hand back and said, "It must be hard to walk with a leg you're not used to."

"Yeah. Thanks." he replied.

Seeing the blush on Kagome's face, Winry instantly knew that the priestess liked Edward and a pang of jealousy stabbed her chest. She turned her eyes back to the automail in her hands and she grimaced, recollecting all that had to be done. "Ack, this is going to take all night."

Edward glanced up from Kagome and over to Winry and laughed sheepishly. "Sorry for asking you to do so much."

"It's whatever Ed." Winry smiled as she hefted the leg over her shoulder and proceeded to walk out the room to her workshop that she shared with Pinako.

Alphonse sighed as he watched the blonde leave the room. He really missed her. "We really drive her crazy sometimes, but she's always there for us right?"

"Yeah, she is." Edward remarked, stretched out his new leg to get used to the feel of it. It's been so long since he had to walk around with an unfamiliar leg. The first time was when he had first gotten the automail - although back then he had to bear through all that pain at the same time. He reached over and grabbed Kagome's hand. "Help me get Al outta this crate."

The priestess nodded, her blush deepening, and moved over to wrap her arm around Alphonse's waist as Ed hefted his arm around his shoulders. Together they lifted the metal suit out of the crate and set him down on the floor in front of the couch. Kagome looked around for something to cover his broken side and found a tarp. Grabbing it, she wrapped it around Alphonse's body. "Hey, Edward? Let's go outside. I don't like being inside all day." the priestess smiled when he shrugged and placed Al's arm back around his shoulder as she wrapped an arm around the suit's waist.

* * *

The three teens laid in the grass, gazing up at the sky and pointing out various shapes in the clouds. Den was curled up in a ball next to Kagome, who occasionally scratched her behind the ears. The priestess raised her hand up and indicated at at large cloud, "That one looks like Den!" she said excitedly as she petted the dog once more.

Ed scrunched up his eyes as if that would help him get a better look at the white cloud. "Naw, I say it looks more like Hawkeye's dog, Black Hayate."

Alphonse shook his head from side-to-side and said, "You're both wrong! It looks like Asami!"

They continued to argue about what the fluffy object in the sky looks like until they busted out laughing. Den yawned and laid her head on Kagome's stomach. The dog seemed to have taken quite the liking the the priestess in the short amount of time she's known Kagome. After a few minutes of laughter, the teens finally calmed down and soon Ed began complaining about how he does not handle having breaks well.

Kagome teased, "How can you not handle breaks. You're so little that your body probably appreciates it." She sprung to her feet when Ed let out a growl and began to chase her around Al. Using her advantage of Edward having an unfamiliar leg and one arm, the priestess jumped up a tree and swung her legs back and forth just out of his reaching distance.

Al watched his brother and Kagome interact and saw just how good of a couple they make. He was secretly happy that his brother's affections were on the priestess. The reason being was that he had thought that Edward and Winry would be together, but now that Kagome was here that changed everything. Alphonse has liked the blonde ever since they were children. Once he and Ed had fought over who would marry Winry. Of course in the end they were both shot down since they were only five at the time.

"Oh right!" he said, gaining the attention of the two older teens. "Since you have so much time, go visit Mom's grave!"

Edward crossed his arm over his chest - a force of habit - and gained a thoughtful look on his face. "Visit her grave, huh? But you can't go the way you are now."

Alphonse tilted his head to the side. "I don't want the Major to carry me or have you two heft me there, so I'll stay here. Once the automail is fixed, we'll head off the Central right away, won't we?" he said, looking at the couple with bright eyes, "You and Kagome should go there while you have time to. I'm sure Mom will like the company."

Kagome slid off the branch she was perched on and dropped down next to Ed. "Yeah. Let's go."

Fullmetal sighed and humped his shoulders. "We'll be off for a bit." He took the priestess' hand in his and pulled her down the path. _'Maybe now I can tell her.'_

* * *

Edward held onto Kagome's hand tightly, secretly happy that he was not wearing his gloves so he could feel the warmth of her palm. He really was glad that she came with him to his mother's grave. It had made things much easier. Together they cleaned the headstone, making it shine like new; Kagome used her alchemy to restore the name that was slowly eroding away: Trisha Elric; she even placed a wreath of flowers that she had personally braided on the headstone. He took her by the remains of his old home, pointing out the spots of the ruins where his and Al's room was, where the living room used to be, and where the kitchen was.

Kagome smiled at the cheerfulness in Ed's voice as he talked about his mother. He really did love her dearly like the firstborn son should. People may think that he was a mother's boy, but Kagome knew that it was simply that he cared for him mom. She was a very special part of his life. Watching the sun fade behind the horizon, the priestess squeezed Fullmetal's hand, "Shall we go back?"

"Wait." he said, not moving and pulled Kagome back next to him. "I have something I've been wanting to tell you." Edward kept his head low as he shifted his eyes to the ground. He nodded his head at Den, who came tagging along as a bodyguard, and she caught on and walked over to a faraway tree. Ed sighed and laced his fingers with Kagome's.

The priestess looked down at their interlocked hands with curiosity in her deep, dark blue eyes. Her heart began to pound in her chest when she turned her eyes up at Edward and saw the soft, determined shine in his golden eyes. A blush spread across the bridge of her nose and flooded into her cheeks as she licked her suddenly dry lips.

Ed's eyes followed the pink appendage and he wanted to kiss the priestess again, but first he had to said what he needed to say to her. "Kagome, ever since I've known you, I knew you were different." He shuffled his feet nervously, "You didn't pity us when we told you our secret nor did you rebuke us. You accepted me and Al; and I'm grateful for that. You're kind, smart, pretty, can be badass when needed and I li-" he stopped. Why was it so hard for him to say what he was feeling? _'Oh that's right! I've never done this before!'_ he argued with himself mentally.

Decided to just go with his instincts, Fullmetal jerked Kagome close to him, crushing her against his chest. It was a little awkward because of his missing limb, but he managed to cup the priestess' cheek in his hand. Before he lost his nerve, Ed swooped down and pressed his lips against Kagome's in a soft kiss. Her response was instantaneous. The priestess quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed lightly.

He kept the kiss light, but did not stop from allowing his emotions to flood through him and into Sacred-Life. Edward really did care for this girl and would gladly do anything for her. Letting his lips linger over hers in a chaste touch, Ed whispered what has been on his mind since the day they left East City, "I like you too."

* * *

Alphonse watched as a girl with brown hair laugh and play with her dog. He tilted his head to the side, trying to figure out just who she was, but he could not recall her face. Ever since he came back in the suit of armor, Al's memories have been fuzzy. All he could remember was bits and pieces of that fateful night, Ed, Pinako, and Winry. Alphonse sighed heavily and jumped when he heard the thump of someone placing their hands on his shoulder.

"Hey, you okay?" Winry asked, concern in her grey-blue eyes and her long blonde hair hanging freely over her shoulders. "You're just staring into space."

The younger brother gazed up at the mechanic for a few seconds before shifting his eyes back to the brown-haired girl. "Winry, that girl over there. Who is she?"

Winry looked over in the direction Al was focused in and she scrunched up her brow. "That's Mary, you know her." She sat down next to him, wiping her greasy hands on her pants, and drew her knees to her chest and tilted her head to the side. "Come one, you remember, we played together all the time as kids. Hide-and-go-seek and tag. Exploring the river and stuff."

"Oh..." Al sighed, his shoulder slumping even more. "I couldn't remember who she was." His voice took on an emotional pitch as his glowing red eyes dulled. "Somethings, I feel as if my humanity isn't there anymore." his voice sounded choked like he wanted to cry, but his metal body would not allow it.

The blonde-haired girl felt her heart cry out for her most cherished childhood friend. She never even thought about asking how he felt being trapped inside that suit of armor until Ed could find a way to restore his body. All of her concern went towards Edward and his recovery. Winry bowed her head in shame as she inched her hand closer to Al's and locked fingers with him. "It's not gone, Al." she whispered. "Deep inside you, your humanity is there."

Alphonse looked down at the petite young woman next to him, more importantly their interlaced fingers. Winry has never held his hand like that since they were kids. Oh course he could remember things about the girl he's had a crush on for so long. He could never forget Winry. It felt nice to see that after all these years of him being inside this metal body, Winry was trying to make him feel normal. His eyes brightened a little as he wrapped his hand tighter around her smaller one. Al knew that if he were back in his real body, he'd have a bright red color on his face as his eyes widened. He then would have proceeded to confess his feelings for Winry.

Winry shifting her bright grey-blue eyes up at Al and smiled lightly. She was glad to see some of the light back in his eyes. Alphonse has always been an important part of her life and she should start being more concerned about how he feels. Ed still had most of his body, but Al lost his entirely. Winry may hate alchemy and every thing that has to do with it, but she will tough it out if it will help Alphonse get his real body back. The blonde leaned her head down against Al's arm and together they watched the setting sun.

* * *

Edward pulled away from the priestess' warm lips, his hand still cupping her cheek with his thumb moving awkwardly but gently near the corner of her mouth. He waited with bated breath for her response, gazing into her bright, dark blue eyes. Ed knew that she liked him already, but it still frightened him that she would reject him. He did make her wait a long time before he told her his feelings. The longer they stood in silence, the more Fullmetal began to doubt himself. Maybe Kagome had moved on from her crush on him already? Maybe he was to rash with his confession? Did he do something wrong? He'd merely repeated what she had done. Was he supposed to do more? _'Dammit! I probably just screwed up!'_

Only one thing was rolling through Kagome's mind. _'Edward likes me back.'_ It was repeated like a mantra in her head and her heart pounded in her ribcage. It did not help that he was still stroking her lips, which were tingling from the kiss he gave her or was looking into her eyes with desire, hope, and budding affection. The priestess felt more blood pool in her cheeks, turning her face bright crimson, and she felt extremely bashful as she averted her eyes. "Edward..." she whispered before she launched herself at him, knocking them both to the ground. "You don't know how happy I am!"

Fullmetal let out a grunt as his back collided with the ground, but a wide grin was plastered over his face as he wrapped his arm around her waist, albeit awkwardly. "If you're happy then so am I." his eyes left her pretty, smiling face to the fading twilight sky. "Come on. Everyone is waiting for us."

Together the couple walked back to Pinako's house, hands interlaced and satisfied smiles on their faces. It really felt good to finally reveal their feelings to each other. It felt almost natural for them to be together like that, their warmth transferring to each other through their joined hands. But apparently the wind had other ideas. It blew a sudden burst of frigid air that had Kagome releasing Ed's hand so that she could wrap her arms around herself in an attempt to keep warm.

Edward frowned at seeing the object of his affection shivering and shrugged off his cloak. He smiled as he held it out to her and helped her put it on. Grabbing her hand back in his, they walked in peaceful silence back to the house with Den occasionally circling their feet. Once they reached the gate, Kagome stopped them, waving the dog off now that they were back at Pinako's.

She peered at Fullmetal, chewing her lip. "Ed, you need to talk to Pinako and Winry more." Kagome held up her hand. "I already know that you sent them letters, but lately I haven't seen you even pick up a pen. How long has it been since you've come here to Resembool."

"About four years..." he replied guiltily, lowering his head to the ground and shuffling his feet.

"The last time you sent them a letter or gave them a call?" she arched a brow

Ed bowed his head even further as he shoved his hand in his pants' pocket. "After our mission in Youswell..." he cringed when he heard Kagome's gasp. That was nearly three years ago!

Kagome sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Edward...I'm surprised they even let you and Al through the door. Maybe I should have let Winry hit you with those wrenches. You need to keep in touch with them more. They're the closest thing you have to a family. It's not just you and Alphonse."

Fullmetal knew that the priestess was right. He did need to keep in touch with them. Pinako was like a grandmother to him and Winry was a childhood friend and an annoying younger sister. He balled his hand up in a tight fist as he looked up at Kagome with bright gold eyes. "I promise to keep in touch with them, but you have to promise me something in return."

The priestess sighed. Ed always goes by Equivalent Exchange with everything. Making promises were no exception. "What is it?"

"Promise me that you'll tell me more about your past." He said, watching her immediately grasp the golden locket around her neck. "When we first met, I sensed that there was still more that you did not tell me and Al." Ed reached out and grabbed her hand that was clenching tightly on the pendant. "Please Kagome?"

The young woman swallowed thickly as she gazed into his pleading eyes. It was true. Even though she told him about her past, she told her story with the minorest details. Sighing softly, Kagome gave him a small smile and nodded her head. "I promise. But I will do it at my own pace." She pulled the red cloak tighter around her body when the wind picked up, blowing cold air around them and making Kagome's long dark hair fly to the side.

Ed touched her shoulder gently and guided her up to the porch, where a lantern was set out for them. Opening the door for her, the couple found Pinako working on his new arm, Alex carrying firewood, and Alphonse and Winry engaged in a conversation. When the blonde-haired girl looked up, her eyes instantly spotted the silver chain dangling around Ed's hip, due to her sitting on the floor next to Al.

"Is that the watch they give you?" she asked, her eyes gaining little sparkles. Winry pretty much ignored his attempt to explain how the pocket watch worked as she pulled it free from its confinement, gazing admiringly at the silver craftsmanship. She dangled it from the chain and spun it around, running her fingers down the smooth back of it before tracing over the Amestrian Dragon on the front. "Hey, Ed." her voice was sweet, a little too sweet as she batted her eyelashes. "Can I see how it works, please?"

"Are you crazy?" Ed snapped, snatching his watch back and hiding it away in his pocket once more. "I know how you get when you have your hands on mechanics. You'll take it apart to the last screw."

Winry huffed and crossed her arms below her chest. "So what if I do? I'll put it back together and it'll work just fine." she smiled sweetly and flashed him puppy-dog eyes. "You know I'm the greatest mechanic on the planet, Ed. Right?"

Edward stood his ground. Winry's large grey-blue eyes having no effect on him whatsoever. If they were not the dark blue eyes of a certain priestess than no puppy eyes would work on him. "Get someone else's."

The blonde-haired girl pouted and turned her sights on Armstrong, using her cute girlish face to try and charm him into letting her take apart his watch and see how it worked. She wanted so bad to see the inside of it. To see what make it tick, how it supposedly amplified alchemy, and how the gears moved in harmony with each other.

Alex bristled under her gaze and coughed into his hand, "I think I'll go chop about a year's worth of firewood." he twisted on his heels and opened the door, exiting into the bleak darkness of the night.

Kagome sighed and pulled her watch out of her pocket and moved over to Winry. Although she knew that the possibilities of them becoming close friends were very slim since they both liked the same person, it would not stop her from being nice. The priestess took the blonde's hand and placed the silver trinket in her palm. "If you promise me that it will work the exact same way it did before I let you see it and that I get to watch you; you can see the mechanics of the watch."

Winry's eyes widened in shock and she flashed Kagome a smile. Nodding her head vigorously, the mechanic eagerly led the priestess upstairs to her room where most of her tools were placed for the night. Edward watched as his childhood friend all but drag Kagome up the stairs and into her room. He shrugged his shoulders; Ed would let the Sacred-Life alchemist find out for herself why he did not want Winry to fool with his watch.

* * *

The mechanic gently pushed her slotted screwdriver into the back casing of the pocket watch, flipping it off with a small 'pop.' She squealed at the sight of the gears grinding against each other, the smell of metal scraping against metal, and the sound of the second hand ticking. Winry loved it all. She flashed the priestess a smile. "Thanks for letting me do this. Those guys were being stingy."

Kagome shrugged her shoulders. "I know how it feels to be curious of how things are." She leaned against the wall and recalled her first memory of the Feudal Era and smiled slightly. It was when she first met Inuyasha and how she played with his ears. "So..." she began, "How long have you been into mechanics?"

Winry put down her screwdriver and picked up a pair of pliers, carefully moving a gear out of the way so she could look at the tiny speakers. _'So, that's what amplifies the alchemy. Interesting.'_ "Ever since I was a little girl." She moved on to the gears that set up the hand-spun wind. "What about you? How long have you been into alchemy. You're actually the first female State Alchemist I've known."

"Since I was thirteen." the priestess answered, feeling a little awkward trying to engage in conversation with her rival for Ed's feelings. "How old are you, Winry?"

"I'm fifteen. Same age as Ed." the blonde tinkered with the watch for a few more minutes, messing with the gears, before placing the casing back on it. "And you are?"

"Sixteen. I'll be seventeen in a few months." Kagome said.

Winry stood out of her seat, moving over to Sacred-Life and handed her back her watch. She watched as the priestess stood and clipped the chain back on her inner pocket and slid the silver circlet back inside its confinement. "So you're older than Ed?" Her grey-blue eyes narrowed. "I've been meaning to ask this. What are you to him?"

Kagome stiffened at the accusing tone the blonde took with her. "I'm his..." she stopped. What was she to Edward? Even though they confessed their feelings to each other, the priestess was not sure where she stood with the Fullmetal. He never openly said that he wanted her to be his girlfriend. She did not know what to tell Winry.

"His what?" the mechanic inquired, arching a single golden brow. "Do you like him or something?"

The dark-haired girl nodded. "Yeah, I like Ed." she said sincerely. There was no use in hiding her feelings anymore. Kagome did that when she had loved Inuyasha and she ended up losing him to that undead priestess. She was not going to let that happen. If Winry wanted Edward, she was going to have to fight for him.

Winry narrowed her eyes even further. "Why?"

Kagome has been thought about why she liked Ed. It was not because he was handsome and strong, but because of his kind considerate attitude. He was loyal to those he treasured as close friends. He cared about the lives of the innocent. And most of all, Edward had a big heart that was in the right place. "For many different reasons. Possibly the exact reason why you like Edward."

The blonde bristled at those words and warm blush flitted over her cheeks. How did she know about her childhood love for the older brother. She's always kept it so well hidden that not even her grandmother knew about it and this girl who she just met today figured it out.

The priestess smiled uneasily. "Even though we are rivals, I still want to try and be your friend, Winry." she touched the younger girl's shoulder briefly. "I hope you take that into consideration, because if you want Edward; you'll have to fight me for him." Clicking open her pocket watch, the priestess was amazed by how it seemed to be working even better than when she first got it. The second-hand was no longer a tick of a second too slow and the latch was much easier to open. Flashing Winry a quick smile, she said, "Thanks. You really are the world's greatest mechanic." With those words said, Kagome quietly exited the blonde's room and back downstairs.

Winry was so confused. Why would that girl want to be her friend if she knew that they liked the same person? Most females would fight and argue about it, not become all buddy buddy with each other. Kagome was so calm about it, like she's experienced this type of thing before. "Kagome, just who are you?"

* * *

Ed turned over in his bed to look at his brother, who was sitting on the floor next to his since he gave Kagome it. "Al, I talked to Granny Pinako. She said my arm is gonna be ready tomorrow." he flashed him a grin. "And I'll fix you, first thing I do. Things are finally looking up."

Alphonse glanced over at his brother. "That's good." he turned his head back to the window, gazing out at the stars. "Did I ever have friends. Besides Winry and Kagome?"

"What?" Fullmetal questioned, looking fully at his little brother. He furrowed his brows together. "What's with that out-of-the-blue question?"

"I just don't remember any of them." the younger brother sighed. He tilted his head to the side when Kagome turned in her sleep and mumbled something about oden before a smile spread over her lips. Shaking his head slightly, Al looked back up at the stars. "I try to, but it's hazy. They don't have faces."

The young alchemist sat up in his bed, swinging his legs over the edge and placed his hand on Alphonse's shoulder. "You know how memories work. You've had a lot of new experiences, and they just pile up! It's natural for old memories to fade a little."

Alphonse just slumped his shoulders even deeper as he sighed, "There's something wrong with me."

"There's nothing wrong with you, Al." Kagome's voice said, causing the two brothers to jump. She giggled softly behind her hands and swung her legs over the edge of the bed and sat up. Her fingers touched Alphonse's arm softly with a small smile on her face. The priestess slid off the bed and down to the floor, sitting between the two brothers. Turning her head, Kagome's eyes widened at the millions of stars lighting up the sky. "Wow...it's so beautiful."

Pointing a slender finger out the window, the priestess singled out her favorite constellation, the Little Dipper. Kagome has always enjoyed looking at the stars, but the Ursa Minor has always been her most well liked. _'Probably because the North Star is my favorite star.'_ "This is the best thing about living out in the rural area. You can just lose yourself in the sky." Her voice was pure admiration as the lighting from the sky made her eyes sparkle.

Edward smiled down at Kagome. "Years ago, Al and I used to just go and look up at the stars every night."

"Yeah." Alphonse echoed, tilting his head back further to look out the window. "And dream."

The three teens continued to point out the thousands of constellations in the starry night sky of Resembool. It was not until Kagome began to nod back off, leaning her head against Al's arm. Alphonse's glowing eyes softened as he nudged his brother. Ed glanced over and a small smile spread over his lips. The priestess looked so peaceful as she slept and it almost pained him to wake her up.

Shaking her gently, Edward woke Kagome up and guided her back to Al's bed. Making sure his brother was not looking, Fullmetal pressed his lips to the priestess' forehead and moved away, quickly retreating to his bed. Hopping under the covers, he muttered a good night and was asleep the instant his head hit the pillow. Ed was going to need his strength for the morning to come.

* * *

Edward cringed when Winry announced that 'docking time' will be right after breakfast. Man, he hated that procedure. Ed almost did not want to get out of bed that morning, but when Kagome nearly knocked the wind out of him she jumped on his stomach forced him up. Of course that set off a game of chase as the Fullmetal Alchemist ran after Sacred-Life for daring to wake him out of his precious sleep.

Now, he sat in that hated chair with Pinako and Winry preparing to connect each of his nerves to the automail wires. He clenched his fist up tightly as he braced himself for the pain that he knew was to come. "Man, I can't wait until I get my body back to pure grade flesh and bone. No more of this!"

Winry looked up from her project of keeping the newly crafted arm in the proper place. "Seriously, Ed, why go to all this trouble just for human limbs? You got the smell of oil, the creak of synthetic muscles, and the hum of spinning bearings. Who needs natural when you've got automail?"

Ed bared his teeth at the blonde-haired girl. "Loser machine junkie."

"Alchemy freak!" she countered.

Kagome rolled her eyes at the two. When she told Winry that if she wanted Ed that she'd have to fight for him; the priestess did not mean this. She stood to her feet and walked over to Alphonse and smiled when he instantly knew what she wanted, turning his head so that she could play with his hair. The priestess absently braided Al's long rope of hair as she watched Pinako and Winry place their wrenches into the joints connecting Ed's automail limbs.

"One." the elderly woman said solemnly.

Winry placed her hand on his metal shoulder and nodded at her grandmother. "Two."

"Three." they said together as they turned their wrenches.

The pain was instantaneous as Edward bit his lip sharply to keep from screaming as the agony settled into his body. He shook his head from side to side as his muscles began to spasm. Fullmetal vaguely heard Pinako order for Alex to place him on the couch and he knew that the elderly woman was scared that he would go into shock from the pain. Edward was a strong-willed fifteen year old to be able to go through something that made grown men scream and cry out. He peeked open his eye to see Kagome rush back into the room with pillows to prop his head up.

Winry grimaced at the sight of Ed being in pain. She almost hated that the cause of it was of her automail and the blonde tried to lighten the mood. "What do you think about the changed designs, Ed?" she asked, moving to kneel down beside him. "I tried to make the steel eighty percent lighter than the last go-around. After all, we can't have it weighing you down so much you'd never grow any taller."

Edward summoned up his best glare and directed it at his childhood friend. "That's gotta be illegal." he winced as his muscles began to cramp up, "Making fun of somebody's height when they're in pain like this."

"Look at you." she smiled lightly. "You've already got enough energy to argue. You'll be fine." Winry's eyes caught a stern glow as her mouth thinned into a tight line. "Seriously, now. The lighter weight should make you faster. But that means it's easier to break, too, so don't be reckless. You can replace automail, but you've only got one life."

"Right."

Winry patted his hand before rising to her feet, stretching her arms over her head and a yawn left her lips. "That's the first all-nighter I've pulled in a while. I'm beat."

Ed shifted his eyes from the ceiling to the blonde girl. "Really, Winry. Thanks."

"Don't thank me for the rush. I'm charging you a fortune." With a small wink, the mechanic left the room and went upstairs to her bedroom, where she promptly crashed for the day.

Kagome gingerly made her way over to the Fullmetal, her eyes overflowing with worry and concern for him. This was the first time she's ever witnessed automail placement and it looked to be extremely painful. Her chest twisted painfully when she saw the muscles in Ed's shoulder began to spam once more and sweat bead at his forehead. Digging around in her pocket quickly, the priestess yanked out her handkerchief and dabbed at his face.

Biting her lip, Sacred-Life racked her brain for something, anything to help the boy she'd come to like. He was in pain and she hated seeing the tight, strained look on his face as his muscles continued to throb. Without thinking about, Kagome placed her hands over the steel shoulder joint and concentrated on sending her aura around the agony filled tendons. She had to drive her power in deep to reach the point where Ed was hurting - the pain struck down to the bone. While she was used to using her aura in healing, it felt different this time; a little too intimate to be normal healing.

With her hands still glowing pink with her abilities, Kagome dipped her hands into the crevice where steel met flesh on his left leg. She then spread her aura around, soothing the aching muscles there and alleviating Ed's pain. Underneath her fingertips, the priestess felt his body relax and the tension in his face melted away. Slowly, Kagome moved her hands away from Ed's body and gasped when his human hand suddenly reached out for hers. "Edward?"

Ed cracked his eyes open to see Kagome watching him with worry etched into her brow. Tilting his mouth up in the smallest of smiles, he whispered, "Thanks." He squeezed her hand gently before his eyes slid close once more and his breathing evened out.

Kagome sighed softly as she swept his damp, golden bangs out-of-the-way and pressed her lips to the center of his forehead - much like he did last night. "Sleep Edward. You need it." She sunk to her knees in front of him and laid her head down on the cushion of the couch, her hand still trapped in his.

* * *

Hours had passed with the day quickly turning into evening and Kagome refused to leave Edward's side even for a moment. The priestess rubbed her eyes with her left hand and looked down at the peaceful expression that was on Fullmetal's face as he slept. She finally was at ease now that he was not hurting any more. She had to soothe his aching body with her aura three more times after the first treatment before he finally said that the pain was gone.

Ed snuggled deeper into Sacred-Life's lap, happily comfortable as he sighed contentedly. He'd long woken up, but decided to feint asleep so that he would not have to leave the soft pillow that was Kagome's lap. Her sweet scent of roses and something that was all Kagome flooded his olfactory senses. His eyes nearly popped open when he felt her slim fingers thread through his unbound hair, her nails gently grazing over his scalp.

Kagome has always wanted to touch Edward's hair, to see if it was as soft as it look. And it was. The silky, golden strands slipped through the webs of her fingers as she weaved them into a tight braid. Her eyes slid close as she hummed a soft tune, absent-mindedly braiding and unbraiding Ed' shoulder-length locks. All was peaceful until Winry walked into the room, her loud gasp breaking the silence.

"What are you doing?" the blonde demanded. The mechanic had woken up out of her sleep, the immense worry that she felt for Ed causing her to wake up, and went to see how he was doing. Jealousy spread down her body like a wildfire at the sight of Edward sleeping comfortably of the priestess' lap with the girl playing in his hair.

The priestess sighed as she finished what she's started, weaving the golden strands into a braid and tying it off with a clear rubber band. Slowly opening her eyes, Kagome stared at Winry and said, "What do you think?" her words came out harsher than she wanted, but it would seem that the blonde was going to try to fight the priestess for Ed. And Kagome was not going to relinquish him that easily. "I'm a priestess; it is my duty to help those who are in pain or injured. Edward is no exception."

Winry narrowed her eyes at Kagome, envy filling her to the core. "I understand that, but why is he on your lap!"

"Because he wanted to be here." the dark-haired girl said simply. She was not lying; after the second pain attack, Edward asked if he could rest his head on her lap. And how could she refuse when he voiced it in such a cute way. It was almost like he was twelve years old again. His golden eyes were large and he had a small pout on his face. Kagome felt her eyes narrow when Winry's face turned even redder, making her look like a lobster. "I told you that if you want Edward; you will have to fight me for him. I'd rather avoid a fight and settle this peacefully and be friends."

Winry glared at the priestess. How could she be so calm about this? Why did she not get upset over that fact she had a rival? Why? Why? Why?! It infuriated the blonde that this girl was not affected by jealousy like Winry was feeling. And that was like throwing her into a lake in the middle of December, dousing her flame. Sending one last icy glare at Kagome, Winry twisted on her heel and walked out the door, back upstairs to her room.

Kagome sighed, looking down at the boy on her lap to find him staring back up at her. She could not stop the blush from spreading over her cheeks at the softness in his eyes as his hand slowly came up to touch her cheek. Breathing out his name, the priestess smiled slightly and leaned into his palm. "You heard, didn't you?" her voice was soft, but it still sounded a little irritated that he was eavesdropping.

Ed said nothing as he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, pulling her down to meet his seeking lips. He kissed her softly and chastely. Upon hearing her confession that she would fight Winry for him drove him into wanting to kiss her again - to taste those pink, pouty lips once more. Parting his lips and turning his head to the left, Ed ran his tongue over Kagome's mouth. He smiled when she readily opened up for him and he slid his pink appendage inside.

Their tongues danced within the confines of the priestess' mouth as Edward angled Kagome's head back to deepen the kiss. He sat up slowly, so that he would not strain his still aching muscles, and hovered over Sacred-Life. His automail moved to cup her cheek as his human arm supported most of his weight. Ed then pulled away, her red, kiss-swollen lips following after his, seeking and desiring. A low sounding chuckle left his throat before Fullmetal went off of instinct and trailed his lips down to her chin, kissing it experimentally.

Kagome sighed softly and craned her head just a bit higher, so that Ed could gain access to her neck. She locked her fingers in his thick, soft hair when his lips touched the sensitive skin, his warm breath tickling her slightly. A small squeak left her when she felt his teeth graze over her throat and she felt goosebumps form. The priestess tugged at his braid, pulling him away from her flesh and sought out his lips once more.

This time, the Sacred-Life Alchemist took control over the kiss, setting it to her pace. It started out slow and full of tenderness, but got more aggressive with every second their mouths were conjoined. Kagome parted her lips and trace her own small tongue along the edge of Ed's, asking for entrance. Her silent plea was granted when he opened underneath her shy touches and a dance of tongues began inside his mouth. It was a slow exploration of each other's warm, wet caverns as they mapped out every little detail with wet muscles.

The priestess slowly and reluctantly pulled away from his warm lips. "You didn't answer my question." she giggled softly.

Ed kissed her lips quickly. "I thought that would be a better answer than me just telling you." he grinned cheekily down at her. He laughed when she frowned and swatted at him with a nearby pillow. Shielding himself from her attacks, Edward quickly grabbed a pillow of his own and commenced in a fight with Kagome.

They fought like children for a few minutes, laughing each time one of them was hit in the face with the feather-filled objects. Soon their energy and the adrenaline they had depleted and they sat back deeper into the couch.

Kagome smiled as she leaned her head against Ed's shoulder. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

Fullmetal placed his hand over hers and squeezed gently. "All thanks to you."

* * *

I am so sorry for such the long wait! I was busy with school, my part-time job, other fics, and to top it all off; My internet was down again! I'm starting to question my wifi stability (stupid internet company). Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much as I enjoyed writing/typing it!

Review please!

~Kirei Ai Tenshi


	7. Chapter 7

Once again, sorry for the long wait. I was working on some of my other fics since I felt bad for neglecting them. But I'm back with another exciting chapter of The Sacred Alchemist!

Disclaimer: FMA and Inuyasha aren't mine, but my GSD had her puppies! Eight of them! They're so adorable!

Pairings: Kagome/Edward and Winry/Alphonse

Rating: T (subject to change as characters get older)

Summary: Upon witnessing both Inuyasha's betrayal and her best friend's death, a broken Kagome returns home. Now, she's determined to become stronger. Strong enough to protect her loved ones. But finding love was the last thing on her mind.

* * *

The Sacred Alchemist

* * *

Kagome giggled behind her hand as she watched Ed flex his muscles in the mirror, testing the strength of them. He'd been doing that for the past hour since they decided that they needed to get out of that small enclosement. After they calmed down from the first make-out session, Edward quickly pulled the priestess into another battle of tongues, which he won of course. But Kagome was not going to be outdone by the cheeky alchemist and started a third war, which she won since she sort of, kind of, maybe, cheated when she experimentally traced her fingers down his chest.

Edward puffed his chest out as he flexed in the mirror once more before looking over his shoulder at Kagome. "How do I look?" he asked cockily.

The priestess frowned in concentration as she walked over to Ed and curled her fingers around his metal shoulder. "I don't know?" she mused, pursing her lips. "Something seems off..."

"What do you mean?" he asked, watching her every move like a hawk. Kagome was plotting something and he was going to find out and switch it up on her.

She trailed her fingers down his automail, sending small tingles down the nerves there, before sliding her hand in his. "I don't know." Kagome leaned in towards Ed, her breath fanning out over his cheek softly. She giggled when he instantly followed her lead and pulled away quickly after pecking him on the corner of his lips. "How do you feel?"

Edward pouted and crossed his arms over his chest. "That was a cheap shot!" he scowled at her when she simply laughed and danced away from his swatting hands. "I'll get you for that, Kagome."

The priestess merely winked at him. "I'd say that you're at a hundred percent now." Kagome walked over to the door, stopping to toss over her shoulder, "Come on. You promised Alphonse that you would fix him the second you felt better."

"How did you..?" Ed grinned. "You sneaky priestess!"

* * *

Edward picked up a piece of Al's armor and carried it over to where his brother was sitting. He stood up straight as he asked, "These are all of the broken pieces of the armor?"

Alphonse nodded. "Yep. Kagome made sure that East City's Military Police gather them all for me."

Kagome flashed the metal suit a bright smile at the appreciation in his tone as he looked at her with his glowing red eyes. She placed her hand on Ed's shoulder as she watched him pull Al's helmet off. "You're going to fix him now?"

"Yeah, but there's a little trick to it." the older Elric said as he lifted his hand and pointed to the symbol traced on the neck of the suit. "You see that seal?"

The priestess nodded as she gazed at the dark blood-colored symbol on Al's interior and how close the damage from Scar's attack was to it. A saddened look entered her eyes. If he had hit just a bit further, Kagome would have lost one of her close friends. Taking hold of her locket, she bit back the tears that started to burn behind her eyelids. Kagome moved closer to Alphonse as she watched Alex lean in to get a better look at the medium between Al's soul and his armor and commented on how it looked to be written in blood.

"It is written in blood." Ed confirmed. "My blood." Without any delay, the Fullmetal Alchemist clasped his hands together, the blue light of a transmutation flitting over his fingers as he pressed them to Alphonse's chest. Slowly, the pieces of his broken armor swirled around Al and Ed, forming a small tornado of metal parts. First the younger brother's leg came into sight, shining like new, then his shoulder was fixed, and then his arm shot out of the empty socket. The large gaping hole in his side closed up and Ed grinned as he thumped his knuckle against it.

Unable to contain her happiness, Kagome flew to the metal suit that was her friend and hugged him closely around the waist. She pressed her cheek against the cool metal of his chest plate and snuggled into him. "Al! You're okay!" A bout of laughter filtered through her lips when Alphonse wrapped his arms around her waist and proceeded to spin in a wide circle. "Stop!" she said in between giggles. "I'm going to get dizzy!"

Alphonse laughed along with her. "That's the point!" he spun them around a few more times before stopping and placing the priestess on her feet.

Kagome stumbled over her feet and nearly tripped if Edward had not grabbed her by the waist and helped her stand up straight. She blinked away the dizziness before sending a half-hearted glare at Al, who merely cocked his head to the side. Reaching into her pockets, the priestess pulled out her gloves and slipped them on her hands. "You're going to get it, Alphonse!"

Ed grinned cheekily as he reached behind him and braided his hair. "Let's go, Al!" With a quick dash, he tackled Kagome to the ground, pinning her wrists down. Flashing her a cheeky grin only to swallow it when she brought her knees up to her chest and kicked him off of her. Kagome twirled on her heels and quickly pressed her palms to the ground when she picked up on the heavy footsteps of Alphonse. Although she was a second too late, the priestess still managed to create a hole that encased the younger brother's foot and caused him to trip.

Taking advantage of his brother's predicament, Ed leapt into the air and brought his automail leg down. Alphonse quickly blocked the strike with his arm and grabbed Edward's leg, throwing him away. The Fullmetal somersaulted backwards, landing on his feet only to be encased in Kagome's trap. The priestess had quickly set up a barrier that only she could leave and enter, and she raced over to Alphonse with the circles on the back of her gloves glowing bright pink.

Alphonse continuously dodged the small girl's attacks as she threw punch after punch at his face. He knew that if she managed to land a hit that a piece of his armor would erode away...unless it was her purification powers lighting up her gloves. He dodged to the left when he bumped into the barrier that she had erected around his brother. Kagome smirked as she drove her hand forward, stopping mere inches from Al's face, her priestess powers skimming over the pointed horn.

The younger Elric felt something tingling down his body and he nearly swore that he could feel the heat of the priestess' hand near his face.

"Why are you fighting?" Alex's voice called out to the three teens.

Kagome dropped her barrier from around Edward, causing him to fall to the ground since he was pounding on it with his fists. "Oh no, Mister Alex. It's sparring, not fighting."

Edward scowled up at the priestess before rising to his feet and dusting himself off. "I'm combining a performance check for the new limbs with the sparring."

"And because I wasn't able to move my body for a while, I have to restore its sense of feeling." Alphonse said as he pulled his brother into a headlock.

The priestess giggled as she watched Ed squirm in Al's hold. "And there's the fact that there teacher once told them "You got to train the body to train the mind." She sighed when the older brother began tapping against his brother's chest in surrender before moving over to assist him. Sneaking up behind Al, Kagome threw her arms around him and snatched his helmet off.

Alphonse immediately dropped his brother as he automatically reached for the place where his head should be. "Kagome! That's cheating!"

As the three teens continued their sparring, they failed to notice the growing energy behind them as a glint entered Armstrong's cornflower blue eyes. Crouching down in a ball, Alex launched upward, his shirt ripping from his chest as he declared, "Then, I shall also help!" he ran over with unnatural speed for a man his size and grabbed Ed by the shirt when he tried to run away. "I shall go all out!"

Kagome and Alphonse ran and hid behind a tree. The Strong-Arm Alchemist can be really scary when he wants to be. Alex knew that if he wanted to get the others out, he'd have to act like he was going to harm Edward. Willing his silver gauntlets over his fists, Armstrong pretended to prepare to strike Ed in his vital spot on top of his head. Just as he thought, Kagome leapt from behind the tree, the backs of her gloves glowing as she quickly transmuted a pink rope. She flung the cord at him, wrapping it around his wrist and stopping his movements.

Alex hid a smirk as he let go of Ed, "Your power is strong, Kagome, but your attitude is soft. You'll never win like this!" and yanked his arm back, causing the young girl to fly forward. Kagome crashed into Edward and they both tumbled around in the grass for a few seconds before coming to a stop. Shaking their heads, the two alchemist looked at each other as a mutual plan formed in their heads.

The priestess grabbed his automail and helped him to his feet. Cutting her eyes over to Alex, she leaned it and whispered, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall."

Catching on to her analogy, Ed signaled for Alphonse to sneak up behind the older alchemist. With Kagome by his side, the young alchemists charged at Alex, who quickly got into a defensive stature. Locking their fingers together, Kagome and Edward leapt into the air just as Alphonse crouched down on his knees behind Alex. Their arms hit the large man square in the chest with enough force to push him back slightly.

The attack was just enough to cause Armstrong to stumbled back over Al's bulky body and crashed onto the ground. the three teens quickly jumped on the Strong-Arm Alchemist, pinning him to the grass. Kagome sat on his chest, holding his arms down while Edward and Alphonse held down his legs. Alex struggled in their hold briefly, but when he could not break free, Armstrong yielded to them.

"We did it!" the priestess cheered as she wrapped her arms around Ed in a big hug. She then planted a sound kiss on his cheek before moving to hug Alphonse.

Edward blushed lightly as he placed his fingers against the cheek Kagome had kissed. It stirred the desire to scoop her up in his arms and kiss her until she was breathless. A desire that he did not mind having. It was strange how well he was adapting to these feelings he had for the priestess, it felt so natural for him to be with her; holding her in his arms; laughing and chasing after her when she remarked about his height; kissing her. Ed never thought he, the child genius, would ever have feelings like this. He thought that he would forever be, what Winry referred him as, an 'alchemy freak.'

A smile spread over his lips as he watched Kagome help Armstrong to his feet and handed him the towel that they used to carry Alphonse's pieces of armor in. _'She's so kind hearted.' _To his chagrin, his stomach growled loud enough for his sparring partners to hear and he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Granny, we're starving!"

* * *

"As Kagome told you before, our master used to say "To train the mind, first train the body." Ed said in between bites of food, his voice slightly muffled by the large amount of meat stuffed into his cheeks. He grinned and winked at Kagome when she shot him a reprimanding look. "That's why we usually have to train ourselves like this."

Winry glared at the priestess over the table as she quietly ate her meal, but upon hearing the word train, her mechanic worry about her automail kicked into high gear as she pointed her fork at Ed. "So when you have free time, you spar? she asked indignantly. "That'll break the automail right away."

Kagome took of sip from her glass before turning her eyes on the blonde. "That should not be problem, Winry, since you are the world's greatest mechanic." she then flashed a smile at Pinako, who quickly returned the gesture, "And I'm sure Granny doesn't mind since she's making money off of the little guy." The priestess giggled and shoved a rather large piece of fish into Ed's mouth when she saw his ire rise.

A warm feeling settled over the dinner table as everyone joined in on the fun of picking on Edward. The Fullmetal tried to retort, but it always ended up backfiring in his face. Soon he gave up trying to argue and settled for shooting glares at anyone who messed with him. Kagome tried to start a conversation with Winry, but it ended quickly as the blonde shifted her attention to Alphonse. The priestess sighed; she truly did want to be the younger girl's friend, but it seemed that Winry was determined to fight her for Edward.

'_I hate that she choose that option. I don't want to hurt her feelings, but I am not relinquishing Edward.'_ The priestess used her fork to steal a piece of fish off of the Fullmetal's plate, smirking before saying it was payback for the piece that she lost to him. Ed merely glared at her half-heartedly as he asked Al to pass the soy sauce and continued eating. This carried on for a few more minutes until Edward snatched her fork out of her hand and held it out of her reach. Pinako, Alex, and Alphonse all laughed at the couple while Winry remained silent. Jealousy and Envy were filling the mechanic's body with every second she was in the smiling duo's presence.

She was upset that some girl that Ed only knew for a little over three years captured his feelings, when she'd liked him since they were children. Winry did not trust Kagome, her attitude towards the blonde's feelings were strange, her alchemy was definitely strange, and the way she seemed to hide the silver chain around her neck was strange. Everything about the priestess was strange. The mechanic swore to herself that she was going to convince Ed that Kagome was not right for him. Picking at her food, Winry pushed the plate away from her and announced that she was going to her room.

Kagome shot the younger girl a sympathetic look, but she could not bring herself to feel sorry. After all that the priestess has been through, it was her turn to be happy. Her whole life was swallowed by sadness and pain, but it only took a few short years with Edward and Alphonse Elric to make her days better. Kagome used her experience from her time in Feudal Japan to not sit in the sidelines, but to fight and pursue her own happiness. While her heart still stung at the thought of Inuyasha's betrayal and was nowhere near ready for love, the priestess was content being by Edward's side.

But, there was the fact that she did not know where she stood with Fullmetal. All she knew was that she returned her feelings of affection, but nothing else. Sure his kisses seemed be filled with declaration of his feelings, but Kagome wanted to hear him personally ask for her. It was something that the priestess has always wanted; wanted the man of her choosing to ask her to be theirs. Kagome wanted them to state their feelings to her, not just show them. It made them so much more special.

Soon dinner ended and the family retreated to their rooms. Edward crashed on his bed and was asleep the second his head hit the pillow. He turned over on his back and scratched his stomach, leaving the piece of flesh exposed.

Alphonse sighed. "He fell asleep with his stomach exposed again."

Kagome giggled behind her hand as she went to retrieve a blanket from the closet. "You act just like his guardian, Alphonse." she smirked as she spread the cover over the slumbering Elric. "It's hard to tell which one of you is older sometimes." Kagome bent over and undid his tight braid and retied his hair in a loose ponytail before pressing his lips to his forehead and whispering good night.

"I know." Al walked over to the priestess' bed and sat down at the foot of it and leaned his head back. "It's a pain to have a high-maintenance brother."

"Tell me about it." Sacred-Life commented. "Souta can be such a handful at times that I don't know what to do with him. He can be a total brat too." she stated as she sat down on her bed with her legs crossed lotus style. Closing her eyes, the priestess fell into a semi-meditative state as she regulated her breathing. Her aura opened and expanded around the room as she continued to talk about her little brother with Alphonse. She even told him about the time where he cried like a baby when he was seven years old.

Al laughed along with Kagome, his body feeling lighter since it was wrapped in the warmth that was the priestess' powers. It amazed him that her abilities could both do harm and save someone and the way that she combines it with alchemy was extraordinary. He also wondered what brought him and his brother to trust Kagome with their secret so quickly. Maybe it was how the priestess was a good friend to talk to. Or perhaps that she seemed to be a kind person. No, it was simply because Kagome was a trustworthy person. Alphonse always felt better when he talked to the priestess and soon found out why his brother was attracted to her.

Hearing the soft yawn that Kagome gave, Al suggested that she get some sleep because they were going to spar with Alex one more time before they left for Central. Sacred-Life denied the suggestion saying that she would stay up with him and that she needed to meditate anyway. Kagome long realized that Alphonse's metal body did not allow him normal human functions such as feel pain or even sleep. So the priestess tried to make him feel as human as she could.

"So, Al," Kagome began as she peeked open a single eye, "how are things going with Winry? Made any progression?" she giggled when she could almost see the faint red color that would have stained his cheeks. While she thoroughly enjoyed teasing Ed into blushing, teasing Alphonse was becoming quite fun too. Both Elric brothers had such cute reactions and Kagome could not help but to torture them a little. When she heard Al shuffle around on the floor, the priestess said, "Well, I'm waiting to hear it."

"Uhm...well..." he stuttered, his voice a high-pitched speak. "When you and Brother went to visit Mom's grave, Winry came to me." Alphonse began twirling his fingers around as he dipped his head down lower as his embarrassment settled into his soul. "We had sat and talked about a girl we used to play with when we were younger...but I couldn't remember her. I told her that I feel as if my humanity is slipping away from me. She held my hand like she used to when we were kids." his voice took on a happier pitch as his glowing red eyes shined with joy. "Winry hasn't done that since I was in this suit and it made me happy that she was trying to make me feel normal."

The Sacred-Life Alchemist felt a smile twitch at her lips. Alphonse really did care about the blonde-haired girl and if only she was not so caught up in her jealousy, Winry would realize it. Kagome listened as the younger brother talked about how if only he had his body back, he would have confessed to the mechanic. Even if she had rejected him, Alphonse would not give up on her. The priestess sighed. The Elric's must be known for their stubborn ways. Taking a slow breath, Kagome felt her energies merge with her alchemy abilities; streaks of blue-white lightning dance around her body inside the bright pink sphere that surrounded her.

Alphonse paused when he felt something brush along his arm and he swore that he heard blood rushing through his ears and felt the pounding of his heart. Turning around to stare at the priestess, he saw that her powers had swelled around her and was spreading out through the room. His metal body began to tingle and Al could feel the cold, hard floor underneath him and the breeze of the air blowing against him. Unknown to both teen, the blood seal was glowing faintly in time with the thrumming of Kagome's aura. But all too soon the sensation ended, leaving Alphonse to the empty feeling of being trapped inside that suit of armor and he almost whined at the loss.

Looking back at the priestess, he found that she had fallen asleep, still in her meditative posture. Al sighed as he rose to his feet and pushed Kagome down on the bed and covered her up. "Now I have two high-maintenance people to watch over." he said jokingly. Moving back to the end of Kagome's bed, Alphonse sat back down and leaned his back against the mattress and feinted sleep.

* * *

"Where did that guy run off to?" Kagome grumbled as she set her hands on her hips. Edward had promised that after their spar with Armstrong, that he would take her to Resembool's nursery and animal shelter for her to practice her alchemy.

It's been months since she last tried to bring life to a dying tree and the State was beginning to breathe down her neck about practicing bringing dead animals back. The stress of it all was starting to wear down on her and the priestess did not know how much more she could take before she snapped.

Groaning when she checked their room for the umpteenth time and finding nothing, Kagome ran down the stairs and outside. Scanning the area in the front yard, only to see Alphonse playing with Den as the dog tried to snatch her bone from the tall boy and Alex chopping more than enough firewood.

Sacred-Life briefly considered asking them if they knew where Ed had gone, but her stubborn side kicked in and she decided against it. Kagome walked around the side of the house over to the field where they had first went cloud gazing and found it empty. Scowling, the young priestess ran over to the back of the house and froze at what she found.

Edward lifted his head towards the steady stream of water coming out of the makeshift shower, silently cursing the frigid temperature. He ran his hands through his unbound hair, grazing his nails over his scalp. He was completely unaware that Kagome had stumbled upon him.

The priestess could not take her eyes from him. Sure she's seen plenty of guys shirtless, but none had the lean, yet muscular built that Edward has. Swallowing dryly, Kagome licked her lips as her eyes traced over every inch of his lean, wide back, broad shoulders, strong bicep and calf muscles.

A small gasp left her lips when he turned slightly, just enough to give her a glimpse of the water trickling down his strong neck to his pectorals, and down his abs. She stopped herself from looking any lower than that as Sacred-Life trailed her gaze back up...until gold clashed with blue. Kagome felt her face heat up as she ducked back around the corner of the house with a small cry of embarrassment. She hid her face in her hands as she muttered out an apology.

Fullmetal was surprised that Kagome was staring at him with something that could only be desire mixed with embarrassment and possessiveness. That fierce look in her eyes stirred something very unusual in his body and for a second he was tempted to ask if she wanted to join him, but the rational part of his mind told him that it was far too early to even consider that. They had just confessed their feelings to each other a few days ago.

Everything was so new to him and he was finding himself liking the priestess more and more each day he spent with her. Ed knew of her past relationship that went horribly wrong and was determined to not blow his chances with Kagome when she finally decided that she'd give being with someone another go.

Turning the water hose off, Edward reached for his towel and draped it over his shoulders. He'd just dried his hair off when he looked up and found Winry standing in front of him with her arms crossed. "You need something?"

Winry narrowed her grey-blue eyes. "We need to talk."

* * *

"Could you hurry it up, Winry." Fullmetal said impatiently as he tugged on his shirt. "I told Kagome I'd take her to the nursery and the animal shelter before we leave for Central. State's been on her about practicing on her alchemy."

The mechanic balled her hands up in tight fists at the mentioning of the priestess' name. What was so special about her? Sure, her hair was long and shiny, but so was Winry's! Both she and Kagome had blue eyes, except the priestess' was a midnight blue and hers was a steel-blue. The only thing that Ed and Kagome had in common was that they were both State Alchemist, but Winry has known him ever since childhood! She should be first in his mind and yet it was always 'Kagome!' 'Kagome!'

Turning on her heels, the blonde stared Ed straight in the eyes and said what's been plaguing her. "What's so special about her?"

"Special about who?" Ed said, arching a brow as he tugged on his black jacket before sitting to lace up his boots.

"Kagome!" Winry hissed. "What makes her so special! You told her your secret just a few weeks after meeting her, helped her become a State Alchemist, you protect her, and obviously care about her more than me!" tears brimmed her eyes as she continued to ask the Fullmetal Alchemist why the priestess was so special to him. He tells her things that he would not even confide in her about. He took her to Trisha's grave site, to their old home, and gives her his cloak when she's cold. All those things that he does for Kagome are the things that Winry wanted him to do for her. "How do we even know that we can fully trust her!"

Edward gritted his teeth. "I told Kagome me and Al's secret because she confided in us about hers; I did not help her become a State Alchemist, her own determination and studying caused her to become one; I protect her because she's saved my butt plenty of times; and of course I care about her! She's one of my best friends too, you know!"

The mechanic reached for one of her wrenches and held it in a menacing way. "No, I don't know! You don't talk to me anymore! You haven't called or sent a letter in almost three years and when you finally show up, you have her attached to you by the hip!"

"She is not attached to me by the hip!" he declared, his ire and embarrassment rising with each word that came from his childhood friend. Why was Winry acting like this? What did she have against Kagome?

"Well, it sure does seem like it!" she shot back, all traces of her previous sadness gone as she vented out her frustration out on Ed. Winry was sorely tempted to drive her wrench deep into Ed's thick skull for not realizing what she was trying to say.

Edward's eyes flashed with anger. "Shut up, Winry."

The blonde reared her head back as if she'd been slapped. Sure, Ed has told her to shut up before, but never with so much venom in his tone. It was always a playful and joking way like when she teases him about his height. Narrowing her eyes, Winry tightened her grip on the wrench in her hands. "No!" Her jealousy was starting to get the best of her and she was not thinking rationally; The mechanic was acting very out of character, but she could not help it. The boy she'd liked since she was a child was being taken away from her.

"Just shut up." Fullmetal said evenly, his hands balled up into tight fists as his body began to shake. He was beginning to think that keeping in contact with Winry was not such a good thing if she was going to keep hounding him about Kagome. "You don't know anything about me and Kagome."

"That's the whole point of this conversation!" Winry yelled as she threw the wrench with all of her strength. Her eyes widened when Ed caught the projectile with his automail hand and dropped it to the floor. He's never once been able to catch anything she threw at him. "I'm trying to see why everyone thinks that she's so great when she's not! The way she uses her alchemy is freaky! She's someone that you shouldn't trust, Ed!"

Edward stared at the blonde with serious golden eyes. Once he'd calmed down from his anger, Fullmetal could easily hear the jealousy and envy laced through Winry's voice. She must have found out his feelings for the priestess, but why was she jealous about it? The mechanic was like the little sister that he's never had and the best friend that he could ask for. Was it because she was looking out for what was best for him? Placing a faint smile on his face, Ed said, "Look, Winry, I know what you are trying to do, but I really do care for Kagome." At her sharp gasp, he added, "I care about you, too. But..."

Winry leaned in closer, although everything screamed for her to stop listening. "But what?"

He sighed. Fullmetal knew that he was not going to shake the blonde off now. She would keep badgering him about why he trailed off. Ed should have just kept his mouth shut. "I like Kagome the most. She's my girlfriend."

A gasp echoed across the room as Winry's greyish blue eyes widened. Kagome was his girlfriend? When? How? Why? Pain ripped through her body as a dull ache settled into her chest. She took a step back but her hand was outstretched as if to grab Edward. "Is...is it true?" she desperately did not want it to be true. Winry did not want him to say it was true. This was just a cruel and unusual joke on Fullmetal's part. That was it! He was just getting back at her for all the times she's messed with him about his height. Just as a relieved smile was about to spread over her lips, Ed's next words wiped it away.

"Well...yeah it is true." he said calmly, his voice unwavering. While he wanted to tell it to the priestess first while they were at the nursery surrounded by her favorite flowers, Winry backed into a corner about his feelings and he was not going to deny them. He knew of Kagome's past relationship and how horribly wrong it went because the boy she'd loved betrayed her. Edward swore that he would never hurt the priestess like that. "I don't just kiss any girl who's not my girlfriend."

Winry felt her heart break even more. They've kissed? _'No! Ed's lying!'_ she denied. The mechanic knew him longer than anyone. She grew up with him and knew his personality. Edward was too dense to even realize that he could attract women with a single glance. Too dense to even try to confess to a girl! Too dense to even think about girls in that way! "You're lying..." she said quietly, balling her hands into tight fists. "Stop lying to me, Ed!" With those words shouted, Winry pushed past Fullmetal and ran upstairs to her room, slamming the door shut.

Edward was torn between going and comforting the blonde and keeping his promise to Kagome. Sure, the priestess was his girlfriend and he did want to hurt her, but Winry was his best friend. He did not know what to do. Placing his hands in his hair, Ed let out a cry of frustration, "Dammit! Why does things have to be so complicated!"

"Brother?" Alphonse's voice called from the doorway. "What's wrong with Winry? She looked really sad." he tilted his head to the side. "And Kagome's looking for you."

"Al..." Fullmetal sighed. "Go to her. I gotta take Kagome to the nursery and then to the animal shelter." He placed his hand on his brother's arm. "She found out, so I told her the truth."

Alphonse gasped as he turned on his heels and watched Ed's fading back. Winry found out? How? Rushing up the stairs, taking two at a time, the younger brother reached the mechanic's room and gently knocked on the door. 'If it's Ed, go away!' was the muffled reply he'd gotten in return. Knocking softly once more, Al said, "It's me."

After a few minutes of silence, the door to Winry's room slowly opened to reveal the girl with swollen red eyes and puffy cheeks. She must have been crying and Alphonse's soul twisted in a painful matter at the sight. He wanted so badly to hug her and tell her that everything would be okay. That he would always be there for her because he liked her the most. Winry attempted to smile through her tears and failed horribly. "I'm sorry, Al. I just..." she broke down and began to sob. The blonde threw her arms out and wrapped them around his waist as she cried into his chest.

"Winry..." the younger Elric whispered as he slowly placed his hand on her back to comfort her. He hated it when she cried. It made him feel useless that he could not even stop the girl he liked from feeling pain. Not knowing what to say without confessing his feelings to her, Alphonse said, "I'm here if you need someone to talk to." he tilted his head at her when she looked up at him with her big, teary eyes as his glowing orbs flashed with sadness. "I'll call and write to you any chance I get. Just don't cry anymore."

The blonde sniffled as she wiped her face with her hands, leaving behind a black oil streak on her cheek. In a small, soft voice that reminded Al of when the mechanic was nine years old, "You wouldn't lie to me, right Alphonse?" This was the first time in a long time that Winry spoke his real name. Whenever she talked to him, the blonde always used his nickname. And it warmed his spirit to hear his full name flow from her lips.

Al reached up and cleaned the oil marking from her face with her finger. "I can't lie to you, Winry. You're my closest friend."

She curled her fingers around the shelf above his chest. "Then...is Kagome really Ed's girlfriend?"

"Well..." Alphonse shifted his eyes to the floor. "I've my assumptions about it..." he shuffled his feet around. "Brother is very strange at realizing his feeling to others. He denies it every time I bring it up..."

"I see..." Winry said as she backed into her room and began to close the door. "I want to be alone right now, Al. Talk to you later?"

The younger Elric nodded his head. "Sure, Winry."

* * *

Kagome ran her fingers through the soft, thick cream colored fur of the kitten that was purring in her arms. The little feline resembled Kirara so much that the priestess almost cried out the cat demon's name when she saw it. But once she got a better look at it, Sacred-Life saw that the kitten had green eyes and only one tail. Still, Kagome was tempted to adopt the kitty and keep her in her dorm back at Central. She was sure that she could convince someone to feed it for her. Cuddling the kitten closer to her, the young woman approached Ed, "Hey, I'm going to adopt this one."

Edward frowned. "You know that we can't, Kagome."

The priestess lifted an eyebrow at him when an idea formed in her head. Narrowing her eyes until only a small sliver of the dark blue iris was visible, Kagome poked out her bottom lip, making it quiver just a little bit. "Please?" Too add to the effect of her act, the kitten in her arms mewed softly and began purring while tossing her legs out to Fullmetal, wanting him to hold her. "Pretty please, Edward."

The Fullmetal Alchemist swallowed dryly. Dammit, puppy-dog eyes never worked on him. They never did! Until now. Kagome's version of the 'look' was so much different that the others he's seen. Others always widened their eyes to the fullest extent and jut their lips out way too far, but the priestess' eyes were narrowed into an almost - dare he say - seductive way and her lip was pushed out just enough to make her look so cute and adorable, while the little feline added to the plea. Gritting his teeth and balling his fist, Ed knew that he lost. He could not deny Kagome when she looked like that. "Fine."

A wide smile spread over the raven-haired girl's lips as she quickly pressed her mouth against Ed's in a small kiss. "Thanks." and rushed off to tell the caretaker that she wished to adopt the kitten. Once all the paperwork had been completed and with her pet having a new name, Kisara, Kagome asked the caretaker if there were any sick, hurt, or dying animals in the facility. When he raised a confused brow, she showed him her pocket watch and told him her name.

Taking her to the back room, the man showed her a brown dog that was suffering from an incurable disease. "We've tried everything to help him, but his health is deteriorating. He'll be dead by morning."

Kagome nodded her head as she slid her gloves on. Carefully stepping into the pen so that she would not frighten the poor creature, the priestess saw the irregular breathing pattern the dog was giving. A vile stench reached her nose and as she cover her face, Sacred-Life saw the bloody diarrhea and vomit in one corner of the cage. Walking over to the animal, who was laying still on its side, the dark-haired girl placed her hand on his abdomen. She gasped. Its heartbeat was way too high and its skin was burning hot.

The dog whined softly in pain. Its eyes gaining a faraway look. He did not have much time left in this world. "He's dying of a rare disease. Not many canines get it." She opened her aura so that she could pinpoint the exact area the virus was attacking. With the backs of her gloves glowing a soft pink, Kagome scanned the dog's body and found the disease eating away at its intestines. If this goes on, the animal would be dead within the next few minutes. Taking a deep and slow breath, Kagome looked over to Ed, who nodded in encouragement.

The priestess placed her other hand on the dog, wincing at the sharp cry of pain it gave, and closed her eyes. She realized quickly that the structures between an animal and a tree were very different. The white-blood cells were trying to reject her powers and she had to quickly let them know that she did not mean the body any harm, that she was going to help him. Sweat dripped down her forehead as she concentrated on finding the life that was still pulsing inside the animal and tried to grasp it. It evaded her multiple times as the dog's will to give up increased. It was in too much pain.

Kagome was not going to give up now and the circles upon the back of her gloves glowed brighter as a bright flash of pink shined from around her throat, pulsing in time with her heartbeat. She gritted her teeth as she struggled to keep her concentration, if she lost focus now the dog would surely die from its blood cells attacking the body or she would suffer a major rebound, and the priestess did not want either of those. Searching deep inside herself, Sacred-Life pushed her power forward and felt it flow from inside of her down her arms to her hands and into the dog. Then, the dark-haired girl finally grasped the life inside the creature.

There was a brilliant flash of light that swallowed both the priestess and the canine that forced Edward and the caretaker to cover their eyes. When the light faded, two sets of jaws dropped at what they saw. The brown dog was on top of Kagome, licking her face and wagging its tail happily. The dark-haired girl was laughing as she tried to defend herself from the canine's attacks. Slowly, Kagome manage to push the large animal off her chest and walked over to the entrance of the pen with the dog following her close behind.

"Anything else?" she asked, happy with her accomplishment. While she was still very weary about practicing on animals, Kagome was proud of herself for managing to save the dog. He was a very lovable creature and she knew he would get adopted out soon. She told the caretaker that he would need to relocate the canine from this pen and sterilize it completely or the disease may spread to the other dogs. The priestess was then guided to the other injured animals, where she healed their broken bones, torn skin, and various minor illnesses.

The more she practiced the more confident in her alchemy she got. Glancing over at Edward, Kagome saw that he had brought out his little black notebook and was scribbling down notes as his eyes scanned over her handiwork, but she giggled softly when she noticed her kitten curled up in a ball on top of his head. He hovered over her when he was healing a cat that had been bitten by a poisonous snake recently, writing down his observations. The way she regulated her breathing when she was healing, the way she scrunched up her brow in concentration when repairing broken bones, and how her powers seemed to fluctuate as she attached the life back into a bird that was dying from being attacked by a wild cat. Ed noticed that putting life back into animals drained her quicker than giving it back to plants and that she was quickly becoming fatigued after the third creature she brought back.

If Kagome kept this up, she would surely faint from exhaustion. Fullmetal walked up beside the priestess and placed his hand on her shoulder, smiling softly when she looked up at him. "You've done a good job, but keep this up and you'll pass out."

The dark-haired girl nodded. She noticed that she was quickly becoming tired after she brought the life of a kitten that choked on a hairball. Scooping Kisara up into her arms, giggling when the cat crawled up to her shoulder and kicked her face, Kagome turned to Ed. "Can we go and get something to eat before we go to the nursery?"

"Sure. There's a great place that makes the best apple pie." He reached out and grabbed her hand in his and pulled her out of the animal shelter after thanking the caretaker for his time and for the adoption of the kitten.

* * *

Edward cursed at himself for thinking about bringing Kagome to the pie shop. The second she took a bite of the apple crumble pie she sighed in pleasure with her eyes closed and a light pink color dusting over her cheeks. Then she proceeded to smile sweetly at him before scooping some of the vanilla ice cream into her mouth and a thin trail of caramel stuck to her chin. He blushed when her tongue slipped out and licked the sticky sauce before sliding along her upper lip and going back inside her mouth. She gave another sigh of pleasure and Ed quickly took a bite of his hot pie without blowing on it.

He welcomed the pain of the filling scorching the roof of his mouth as he brought the spoon full of ice cream to his lips to cool the burn and he instantly got a brain freeze. Edward peeked over at the priestess to find her laughing at him and he scowled half-heartedly. An idea formed in his head and he poked his finger in his cold, creamy treat and flicked it at Kagome. The ice cream landed directly on her nose and she flinched from the sudden frigid touch. Fullmetal quickly placed the money for the pies on the table, grabbed his plate and ran out of the door just as Sacred-Life exploded after him.

The Fullmetal Alchemist laughed, ran, and ate his treat at the same time with Kagome not to far behind doing the same thing. The priestess had finished her apple pie and was now flinging small bits of vanilla ice cream at Edward. "Get back here, Edward!" she said, tossing more of the cold dessert at him.

Ed showed her his tongue. "No way!"

"Get back here, short stuff!" Oh, how she knew to press all the right buttons to make him stop. A mischievous twinkle entered her eyes when Ed finally stopped running and turned around, his eyes dark and teeth gritted tightly. Before he could unleash his rage, Kagome shoved the plate into his face and jumped back. Laughter built up inside her when the plate slid down his chin to reveal his face covered with ice cream. She walked over and swiped some of it off his cheek and placed her finger in her mouth. "Hmm...needs more caramel." she giggled before handing him a handkerchief.

Edward took the napkin from her with a grumpy grunt and wiped the melting, sticky stuff off his face. "Cheater!"

Kagome smirked. "I don't cheat, I just make it so that you can't win." she waved away his offer to return the cloth saying that he should wash it before giving it back. Turning on her heels, the priestess began to walk back to the pie shop. "Come on. I left Kisara with the shop owner and I want to get to the nursery before it gets too late."

* * *

Edward watched as the priestess swirled her fingers through the air and collected the static that began to sparkle around her body. He never noticed it before, but Kagome looked so pretty with her lightning alchemy dancing around her. The tree that she touched from behind her barrier went up in flames, quickly burning into a pile of ash and the Sacred-Life Alchemist closed off the opening to smolder the fire. She looked to be in control of her abilities when it can to agriculture alchemy as she scooped up the ashes of the fallen tree and closed her eyes.

He smiled when her body was encased in a soft pink glow as the circles on her gloves highlighted with her alchemy. Soon the ashes began to swirl around the priestess before assimilating back into the grand maple tree, looking much healthier than it did before. Kagome had diagnosed that the maple had malignant growths caused by bacteria and immediately began her treatment. Ed noticed that it was much easier for her to bring life to plants then it was to trees; she did not even seem tired after she took care of her tenth plant.

Soon the exited the tree part of the nursery and entered the flower section. Edward grabbed Kagome's hand and dragged her around, stopping only a few times to let her admire the pretty blossoms of her choosing and for her to place Kisara in her carrier where they left the kitten sleeping with some of the gardeners. Ed smiled as he squeezed the priestess' hand when they reached the section he'd been looking for. He watched as Kagome's eyes grew large with excitement and a happy squeal left her lips. The reached the roses; the Sacred-Life Alchemist's favorite flowers in the whole world.

"Look, Edward!" she pointed to a set of flowers. "They have red tipped white roses! My mama loves theses!" Kagome walked over and placed her nose above the blossom and took in the delicate scent it gave. She hummed in contentment.

Fullmetal leaned against the wall of the greenhouse with a proud smirk on his face. He brought a very joyous and content smile to his girlfriend. _'Wait...I still have to ask her...'_ He swallowed dryly. While he was bold with showing Kagome how much he liked her, when it came to telling her it always felt as if his tongue had swelled in his mouth. He was not the romantic type! But, he did want to treat the priestess right by not hiding his feeling from her. Walking over to her, Edward grabbed her hand. "Come on, I wanna show you something."

"What is it?" she asked curiously.

He flashed her a cheeky grin. "It's a surprise."

Kagome huffed but allowed him to lead her down the path of roses until they reached a secluded corner of the nursery. A gasp left her lips at the sight before her. This section of the greenhouse was filled with various shades of blue roses. Some were as light as the early morning sky, others were as blue as the sea, and a few of them were darker than the starry night sky. She placed her hand over her mouth as she took in the beauty before her. Blue roses were extremely rare and could only grow in a special chemical that turns their petals the shade. To see so many in such a rural environment was astonishing and Kagome felt honored to witness them.

Turning around to thank Ed for showing her the blossoms, her words became caught up in her throat when she saw him holding out one of the dark blue roses, the exact shade of her eyes. Edward looked away from Kagome as he presented her the flower and a light pink color highlighted his face. "Kagome, I'm no romantic and this was the best way I could think of..." he paused, daring himself to look up at the girl he'd come to like before continuing. He's never been so nervous in his life; just the mere thought of telling Kagome his feelings made his nervous and frightened of her reply. "But you know that I like you. So..." he muttered something incoherent.

The priestess leaned in closer, trying to decipher what Ed just said. "Speak up."

"Will...you...be my..." he mumbled again, feeling his tongue swell in his mouth.

"Edward, say it clearly." Kagome grabbed his hand that was not holding the rose out to her and squeezed. Her eyes were encouraging him to continue with what he was saying.

Fullmetal sighed and reached out and tucked the flower into the older girl's hair and swept his fingers along her cheek, a bit awkwardly, as he finally said, "Kagome, will you be my girlfriend?"

The raven-haired girl did the first thing that was on her mind. She sprung up on the balls of her feet, lunging herself into Ed's chest and locked her fingers around his neck as she pressed her lips to his. Edward's eyes flew open at the suddenness of the kiss as they both were knocked to the ground. He then smiled into the affectionate gesture and moved his mouth against hers gently as he wrapped an arm around her slender waist. He would not try to take it any further than what Kagome wanted. She started the kiss and he would follow.

After a few more pecks, Kagome pulled away and snuggled her head against his chest under his chin as she sighed contentedly. "Yes! I'll be your girlfriend, Edward! I'm so happy that you asked!"

* * *

After picking up her kitten, Kagome and Edward made their way back to Pinako's house hand-in-hand. The rose in the priestess' hair was unharmed from her lunging attack on the blond and was still holding its beautiful texture. The happy aura surrounding the twins was almost visible to all who saw them, a mixture of gold and pink that created a warm color. The fading sky was an alluring shade of pinkish orange with an underlying hint of midnight blue. Kagome looked over at her boyfriend and smiled.

The priestess was so happy that Ed verbally asked her to be his. It was like a dream come true! Her heart was pounding a mile a minute and the smile on her face just would not stop. Kagome was glad that she'd given being with someone another chance. She just hoped that Edward would not hurt her. The dark-haired girl was still very fragile. "Hey, Edward?" she said softly as she squeezed his automail hand and continued when he hummed in acknowledgement. "Remember our promise?"

"Yeah. But you can tell me when you're ready to." He said, turning a soft smile down at her.

Kagome shook her head and reached for her locket. "I want to talk to you about looking for my son, Shippou."

"Shippou?" Edward arched a brow as he leaned against the fence that surrounded Pinako's house. "Oh the kid in the picture."

Sacred-Life nodded, set her kitten down on the ground gently, and clicked open her charm, revealing her most treasured item, next to the picture of her father. "When I had left, I didn't even think to bring him with me. I was hoping that on our search for a way to restore you and Alphonse's bodies, we could ask if anyone has seen him." She bowed her head in shame as the guilt of leaving her surrogate son behind to fend for himself without so much as a second thought. The priestess longed to see his precious smile one more time, to see how much he has grown in the past five hundred years. Did his adult ears come in? Was his tail still blond? Were his eyes still that innocent bright green color? How has he matured without her guidance?

She stopped her ranting thoughts when her boyfriend squeezed her hand tightly before taking hold of the other one as well. Edward pulled Kagome closer to him and wrapped her up in a hug with her chin resting against his shoulder. "We'll find him. Is there anything else?"

"Well..." the priestess hummed. "Souta sent me a letter last month asking if I would come to celebrate his ninth birthday."

Ed paused it would delay their investigation quite a bit, but he wanted to keep Kagome happy. "Alright, but you know the deal. You can't get without giving." he gained a cheeky smirk on his lips as a sneaky light entered his golden eyes. The dark-haired girl caught the look he was giving her and squirmed around in his arms, giggled and trying to get away. Edward tightened his arms around his girlfriend, laughing along with her as he said, "Oh no. You're not getting away this time! It's payback for this morning!"

Kagome squealed with glee when Fullmetal began tickling her sides as he kissed her cheeks, attacking her with affection. "Stop it!" she managed between laughs as she gasped for air. "I give! I give!"

"That's not going to work anymore!" Edward recalled the last time he had her trapped back in Xenotime when she said that she surrendered and the second he'd let her go, she mocked him. Moving his fingers up and down her sides, he quickly changed tactics and began tickling her stomach. Fullmetal felt her muscles jump from under his fingertips as he continued his onslaught, never relenting in the slightest. Grinning at her flushed face from laughing so hard, Ed smirked in triumph. "Had enough?"

The priestess took in another deep breath as she tried to calm her racing heart and jumping nerves. "You jerk!" she huffed. "You know that I'm ticklish!"

Ed's smirk widened. "I do now." he laughed when her face fell as she gave away one of her weaknesses. Chuckling once more, Fullmetal reached out for Kagome and wrapped his automail arm around her waist as his human hand cupped her cheek. "I like you the most, Kagome."

"I like you the most too, Edward." the older girl leaned in closer to Fullmetal, who followed her almost instantly. Closing her eyes, Kagome met her boyfriend's soft, yet firm lips and sighed in pleasure. The kiss started out sweet and full of feelings but soon began a battle of tongues as Edward parted his lips.

He traced the pink muscle along the priestess' lips, sweeping it inside when she opened up for him. She tasted sweet like the apple pie they ate earlier and he could not get enough. Turning his head to the right and bringing his hand from her cheek to curl in her long hair, Ed deepened the kiss. Breathing deeply through his nose, the younger boy took in her scent that was purely roses and Kagome. The priestess curled her fingers in his shirt, wanting to pull him even closer that he already was. For the first time, Kagome noticed that Edward smelled of almond mint and something else that was all Ed. She was hooked on it.

Moving one of her hands from his shirt and into his golden locks, she pulled on the slightly with her nails grazing over his scalp gently. Ed let out a soft grunt at the action and smoothed his automail hand over the width of her back. He then slowed the kiss down until it was a shallow touch of lips before trailing his down her chin to the soft length of her neck that he only had the grace of kissing once. Looking up at Kagome, he waited for her permission and once it was granted, Ed softly pressed his lips against the hollow of her throat. He smirked when he felt her shudder in his arms and wanted to see what other reactions he could get from his girlfriend.

Opening his mouth slightly, Ed grazed his teeth down the side of her smooth fleshy column and watched as goosebumps began to form wherever his lips touched. Nipping at a spot close to her chin, he heard her sharp intake of breath and felt her small hands slide into his hair, undoing his braid. Kissing his way over to the other side of her neck, Ed found out that the left side of her throat was more sensitive than the right as he teased the flesh with his teeth. Drawing a few more gasps and sighs from his girlfriend, Fullmetal claimed her lips once more.

They stood there outside under the night sky, kissing each other until their lips were red and swollen. It was then the wind decided it was time for them to stop as it rushed past them, causing Kagome to shiver. Edward sighed. The weather has some of the worst timings. He and the priestess finally had time to bask in their feelings for each other and the wind had to intervene. Cursing silently under his breath, he shrugged off his cloak and draped it around Kagome's shoulders before placing his arm back around her waist. "Come on. It's late and we need to get Kisara inside."

Kagome nodded and grabbed the bag where her slumbering pet lay and brought Kisara up to her chest. Together they walked up the path that led to the house where they found a lantern sitting on the porch. Looking at each other and smiling, Ed opened the door for the priestess and went in after her. Kagome could not wait to show Alphonse the kitten she adopted. He was going to be ecstatic!

Running up the stairs to the room she shared with Alphonse and Edward, the dark-haired girl opened the door. And her eyes widened at what she saw. It was not her metal friend sitting on the bed waiting for her; it was Winry and she looked livid as she eyes burned with jealousy and envy.

"Time for another 'girl time' Kagome." she said in a clipped tone.

* * *

Finally! I'm done! I hoped you liked the originality this chapter had to offer. I wanted to stray from the plot so that Kagome and Edward could have a little date! And it looks like the war between our favorite priestess and mechanic is about to start. But we all know the outcome of that.

Review!

~Kirei Ai Tenshi


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